A Matter of Time
by warmsugar
Summary: Haruhi's plans to spend a peaceful weekend without the troublesome Host Club are swiftly going awry, until she meets an unexpected and unlikely savior...
1. Chapter 1

**A Matter of Time**

**By warmsugar**

Haruhi was cursing under her breath at the injustice of it all. "Damn rich bastards!" she thought to herself, extremely annoyed with how the day was turning out.

She had awakened this morning feeling strangely refreshed and exhilarated. No doubt it was because the weekend had finally arrived. Peace, blessed peace. She would mercifully be free from the clutches of the bizarre Ouran High School Host Club for a few days of much needed R&R.

Things however, had not gone according to her plans the minute their doorbell chimed. Her frown deepened considerably as she remembered the scene that ensued a few hours earlier.

_Ding-dong. Ding-dong._

_Who could be calling this early in the morning, she wondered curiously._

_She moved to the door, and opened it. The cheerful greeting she was about to utter died a painful death as she gawked at the sight before her in dawning horror._

"_Oha-yo, Haruhi!" Tamaki Suou said, beaming innocently at her._

_She barely registered the chorus of "oha-yo's" as visions of her peaceful (Translation: Host Club-free) day were greedily being sucked into the black hole that had miraculously appeared at her feet._

"_Noooo…" she groaned miserably._

"_Yo." Hikaru said, giving her shoulder a quick poke._

_Haruhi remained unmoving, staring blankly into space. Having her worst nightmare come to life had effectively brought on a catatonic state._

"_Tono, looks like Haruhi has gone into a coma," Kaoru remarked blandly. "Shall we proceed with Plan B?" _

"_Hai, hai! You have my permission to implement Plan B. We'll have so much fun together my darling Haruhi!" he exclaimed excitedly._

_Their lord was indulging in one of his stupid Haruhi-fantasies again. The twins looked at each other and shrugged._

"_Daddy will take good care of you! We'll play all the games and eat all the commoner's food…" Tamaki rambled on happily as he started walking back to the car._

_Mori and Honeyy trailed behind him, completely absorbed in an animated discussion that seemingly involved cakes and other sweet things..._

_The twins looked at Haruhi's still form, a mischievous smile spreading from ear to ear on both their faces. _

"_Yo, Kaoru— " Hikaru said grinning evilly. "You heard Tono, we can grab Haruhi and carry her off."_

_The words "grab" and "carry," snapped her out of her self-induced trance._

_Without warning, a sinister and almost Kyouya-like aura started emanating from Haruhi's bowed head._

"_Tamaki-senpai, Hikaru… Kaoru…" she intoned flatly._

"_Nani?" they said in unison._

"_GET LOST!!" she roared, and promptly slammed the door in their astonished faces._

* * *

She sighed heavily and risked a quick peek over her shoulder. As expected, the idiots were trailing a few blocks behind her. And in typical Tamaki fashion, they had on dark glasses and even darker trench coats. Although she had to repress a smile as she took in Hunny-senpai's get-up.

Haruhi shook her head. "What a bunch of fools. They stick out like sore thumbs in those ridiculous outfits," she thought irritably.

Well, it couldn't be helped. She straightened her spine and a glint of steely determination entered her eyes. She would enjoy this day— even if it killed her. If they wanted to follow her around like a group of stray animals, well then, that was their problem.

Her resolve strengthened, she upped her pace a fraction.

"Heading anywhere in particular, Haruhi?" a voice drawled lazily, somewhere in the vicinity of her left ear.

She nearly jumped out of her skin and was about to harangue the impertinent stranger with a barrage of angry words when his identity was revealed by the shifting light.

"Kyouya-senpai," she breathed in relief, which quickly turned to annoyance. "Really, lurking in the shadows like that…"

Ohtori Kyouya gracefully unfolded himself from wall he was leaning on. The mutinous expression on Haruhi's face was… amusing to say the least. The belligerent set of her jaw promised another exasperating encounter with her. He grinned inwardly. On the surface however, his mask was firmly in place and he was as composed as ever.

Pausing to adjust his glasses, he looked at her from the corner of his eyes and remarked casually, "I was on my way to a meeting when I noticed you and your… ah… predicament."

Haruhi continued to look at him dubiously. Yeah right, she thought sarcastically. As if Kyouya would have business in this part of town. She rolled her eyes heavenward at the blatant lie. If he thought for a second that she'd believe that preposterous claim, then he was just as moronic as the rest of their fellow club members!

Kyouya stared at her coolly, taking note of the suspicion in her cocoa-colored eyes. He would never openly admit it, but her obvious distrust in his motives (though he really couldn't blame her…) both charmed him; and at the same time, made him want to gnash his teeth in frustration.

"Well, I thought you needed assistance," he said smoothly. "But it seems I was mistaken."

Inclining his head, he continued with a fake smile on his face, "Give my best to Tamaki and the others then. I'll see you at school on Monday. Ja!"

He turned and started walking away. Now that he wasn't facing her, he grinned wickedly. It was all a matter of time. The others would be rounding the corner in one… two… three…

He heard Haruhi's gasp of dismay and stole a quick glance at her. He smirked as he saw the look of panic and wide-eyed alarm etched into her small pixie-like face as she realized the pickle she was in.

She bit her lip unconsciously, chocolate eyes giving away her indecision.

_Checkmate._

He continued walking, confident that the situation had shifted significantly in his favor in a matter of those few seconds.

A small hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, and he looked down unperturbed; as though being accosted by a heavily breathing Haruhi was a normal occurrence.

"Kyouya-senpai…" she breathed jerkily.

He lifted a dark brow, "Yes, Haruhi?" he inquired silkily.

Still holding on to his wrist Haruhi quickly shot darting glances behind her, looking for a sign of the unholy trio. Finally, she spied a familiar golden head towering over the rest of the crowd, moving hurriedly towards their direction. She made her decision.

"Eh, Kyouya-senpai…" she muttered reluctantly, a flush slowly spreading across her cheeks. "It would seem that I DO need your help after all.


	2. Chapter 2

An awkward silence filled the air. Or at least, it seemed that way to her. Eyes downcast, her hands tightly clasped on her lap. For the umpteenth time in a matter of a few minutes, Haruhi wondered how in kami's name she ended up in this situation. She peeped at Kyouya through lowered lids.

Designer jeans encased lean legs that were elegantly stretched out, an ankle hooked carelessly over the other. His arms were loosely crossed over his chest as he leaned comfortably against the luxurious leather. As usual, the expression on his face betrayed not even the slightest hint of emotion. Haruhi closed her eyes and offered up a prayer.

_Okaa-san in heaven, what in the world have I gotten myself into?_

Kyouya felt her covert scrutiny and found it highly amusing. He also heard the inaudible sigh she let out, but he refused to acknowledge it.

His thought's turned to Tamaki and the others, he wondered if they had already caught on to what really happened? Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai probably, possibly even the twins… but Tamaki? Ha! The odds that he'd realize it by himself were about as good as a snowball's chance in hell he thought snidely. But sooner or later, they would figure out his little game and the race would begin in earnest. He smiled in anticipation.

"Ano, Kyouya-senpai," she said, clearing her throat. "You can drop me off at the next block, I can just walk home from there."

Kyouya remained unruffled. "I'm quite sure you don't want to do that Haruhi," he stated calmly.

Haruhi ground her teeth, more than a little annoyed by his offhand manner. Fine, she would bite. "Oh, and why is that, senpai?" she queried irritably.

"Because my dear Fujioka-san," he enunciated, greatly stressing the honorific. "How can you be sure that Tamaki and the rest of the motley crew aren't still hanging around the area?"

Her eyes narrowed sharply, a frown marring the smoothness of her forehead as she considered his statement.

Kyouya decided to drive the knife deeper. "Besides," he continued mildly, "with that one's penchant for hysterics, he's probably scouring the streets shouting your name as we speak, believing you've either lost your way or gotten yourself kidnapped," he finished with an evil grin.

The mental picture Kyouya had so vividly described was a possibility _**too**_ real to ignore. Haruhi's shoulders slumped wearily in defeat. While she was dying to go home, she knew that if she did run into the host club again, she could say sayonara to her plans for the weekend.

And this was what, she thought sourly— a lesser of two evils? Well at the very least, the host club's Shadow King fit the proverbial description of 'evil' to a tee, she thought wryly. She sighed again. She looked at Kyouya, a huge question mark in her eyes.

He smiled.

She scowled. Rich jerk. Damn annoying, conceited jerk!

* * *

"Haruhi! Where are you Haruhi?!" Tamaki shouted, racing frantically from corner to corner.

"My dear madam, would you be kind enough to assist me?" he asked, approaching an elderly lady. "You see, I've lost my darling daughter in this crowd," he gave her his most charming smile. "Perhaps you've seen her? She's about this tall… with the most adorable brown eyes..."

The old woman shook her head.

Tamaki moved on to the next person. "Kind sir, my precious daughter is missing and she might have passed this way. She has dark hair, cut really short— almost like a boy's but somehow, she still manages to look like a pixie…"

The man shrugged his shoulders and gave a negative shake of his head.

Where could she be? Tamaki eyed the dense throng anxiously, searching for any sign of her. He lost track of her for just a moment to tie his shoe lace when suddenly, poof! She disappeared without a trace. It was just too horrible for words! His poor and fragile Haruhi, lost and alone— vulnerable to the harsh cruelties of the world.

He had to find her, he thought desperately. It was his duty as her loving father to protect her. Tamaki quickly scanned the sea of faces that swirled around him. Normally, he loved everything about the commoner's world but today…

"Haruhi!" he shouted again, trying to reach her over the city's noise. Just where have you gone off to, he wondered in mute despair.

Honey's nose twitched, as he smelled the heavenly scent of ice cream. Visions of dancing strawberries dressed in fluffy cream flitted about in his head. He could hear a faint metallic sound drawing nearer as the vendor rang his bell. Hmmnnn… maybe he could suggest that they take a break from their search, and rest for a bit. And wouldn't it be just perfect to cool down with a scoop… or two, of sweet, creamy goodness? He was about to ask Takashi what he thought of the idea when a familiar car sped by. A flash of sunlight glinted off a shiny object, momentarily blinding him.

He blinked, not quite certain if he actually saw what he thought he saw. He looked down at his cousin.

"Um, Takashi… that limo that just drove by…?" he asked hesitantly.

"Ah."

"Ano, do you think that it's possible…?" Honey questioned softly.

"Ah," Mori replied just as softly, his face stoic as usual. His eyes told a different story though. Usually a calm and clear gray, they were now dark and turbulent as a stormy sea.

Honey hugged Bun Bun tightly. Tsk tsk. What was he thinking? He sighed, shooting a regretful glance at the ice cream cart.

"We have to tell them," he murmured. "Tama-chan will cry… and the twins…" Honey gave a small shudder. "Um, Takashi, do you think the twins might be angry enough kill him?" he asked worriedly.

"Hai," Mori nodded in agreement. Without a doubt, those two would definitely be royally pissed he mused.

* * *

Hikaru was breathing heavily. Trying to keep up with their lord was like trying to capture a demented butterfly.

"Honestly," he grumbled impatiently.

This day was supposed to have been fun, and both he and Kaoru had looked forward to spending more time with their 'toy.' Clearly, this was another reason why they should think twice before they agreed to participate in any of tono's hare-brained schemes. Although, he was forced to grudgingly admit that most of the time, they actually enjoyed his silly ideas— which was remarkable enough since he and Kaoru were easily bored.

He braced a hand against the wall and watched as the other members of the host club continued to search for their lost princess.

Honey-senpai was perched on top of Mori-senpai's shoulders (nothing remarkable in that), and he seemed to be whispering something excitedly into the taller man's ear.

Tono, was still running around like a chicken with it's head chopped off. Aimlessly wandering about and ambushing people with squawks of _"Where's Haruhi?!" _and_ "Have you seen my daughter? She's missing!"_ in their startled faces.

Kaoru was walking towards him, a grim look on his face.

"Yo Hikaru," he barked at his twin. "Have you noticed anything strange about this picture?" Kaoru demanded, a hint of anger edging his words.

Hikaru looked around, trying to guess what Kaoru was hinting at.

Obviously, tono was still being tono. Recklessly roaming from one person to another, crying for his 'precious daughter.' His melodic voice could easily be heard, as it rose above the sound of the wind.

_Her name is Haruhi and she's all alone…_

Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai were moving purposely in tono's direction, an unpleasant expression on both their faces. He wondered idly at that.

_She's terribly dense and much too independent, almost to a fault… but she's scared of thunder…_

Somewhere, a light bulb popped. And… great kami, that was it!

His amber eyes flared wide open in realization. **He** was missing as well. That underhanded, loathsome snake… He turned to face his brother, a fiery rage sparking in his golden gaze.

"Hai!" Kaoru bit out, confirming the unspoken theory he could see forming in his twin's head.

_She wouldn't last a day without someone watching over her, she's far too trusting and naïve…_

"That sneaky…" Hikaru hissed angrily.

"… slimy and conniving…" Kaoru added furiously.

"ROTTEN BASTARD!!" they shouted in chorus.

* * *

He'd looked everywhere. Tamaki lifted a hand to his throbbing temple. He couldn't come up with a single logical explanation as to how Haruhi could vanish without a single trace. She couldn't have gone far unless…

His eyes widened as inspiration struck. Good lord, could it be? No… he paced back and forth, trying to wrap his brain around the idea. But then, it was highly probable, given her trusting nature. He shook his head sadly, maybe some strange person had promised to give her ootoro…

They had to move quickly. That villain could have dragged his darling child to some godforsaken town in Japan by now.

He whipped out his cell phone and started punching numbers haphazardly.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

That was weird, why wasn't he picking up? He glanced at the surrounding area. He should be around here somewhere. Shrugging indifferently, Tamaki tried the number again.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

Hmnn… since he wasn't picking up, he typed several text messages instead. Just as he sent the last one, an awful thought occurred to him.

Oh no! Maybe he'd been taken too? His over-active imagination grabbed hold of him. Images of the two most precious members in his 'family' taken against their will and forced into slavery played over and over in his mind. Nooooooo…

He looked up to see Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai drawing near. He ran to meet them. From the corner of his eye, he saw the twins taking long and angry strides— quickly heading his way.

"Mori-senpai! Honey-senpai!" Tamaki rushed out, as soon as he was within earshot of the two. "This is terrible! Haruhi has been kidnapped!" he exclaimed in an agonized tone. "My precious daughter has been taken away by some stranger!" he wailed.

"Ano, Tama-chan…" Honey said, trying to get a word in between the younger man's ranting.

Tamaki wasn't listening. "I've been trying to contact Okaa-san too, but so far the phone just keeps ringing. And he hasn't replied to any of my messages," he continued his furious pacing, literally wearing a hole into the ground.

Honey looked at Tamaki in frustration. He was moving so fast it was making his head spin. He tried again. "Er, Tama-chan," he said a bit more loudly this time.

"Mori-senpai! I think Okaa-san's been taken too!" he exclaimed.

"BAKA TONO!!" the twins interrupted heatedly, their voices loud enough to pierce through his mindless raving.

"You miserable demon twins!" he cried, turning on them angrily, "I have no time to deal with your wretched tricks! Haruhi has been kidnapped! Okaa-san too! Instead of tormenting me, why don't you go make yourselves useful?!" Tamaki shouted.

"Baka!" Hikaru spat out, the words dripping venom. He was so angry he couldn't say anything more than that.

As Tamaki stared blankly at the twins, Honey took the opportunity to gain his attention.

"Tama-chan, Tama-chan!"

"What is it Honey-senpai?" whirling around to face him, "You found something?" he asked, bright blue eyes full of hope.

Honey breathed in exasperation. "That's what we've been trying to tell you!" He looked at Takashi, who nodded in assent. "Takashi and I…" he paused, choosing his words carefully, "We saw Kyou-chan leaving earlier," he ended lamely as he saw the pathetic look on Tamaki's face.

Tamaki looked at them in confusion.

"Tono," Kaoru cut in coldly, "What Hunny-senpai is trying to say is that Haruhi hasn't been kidnapped."

Tamaki merely stared at them, still not understanding. "Eh, what does that mean?"

This was hopeless. It was baffling really, why any of them followed this clueless idiot at all. It couldn't be helped though, he thought slowly. Someone would have to spell it out for him.

Hikaru finally controlled his temper long enough to explain in biting tones. "What that means _**tono**_, is that Haruhi wasn't taken against her will." Though that low blood pressure demon lord had probably resorted to some sort of treachery he thought darkly.

He looked their lord in the eye and went on, "And if she was indeed kidnapped, the perpetrator is none other than _**your precious Okaa-san!**_" Hikaru ended, sarcasm oozing from the last few words.

That couldn't possibly be true, he thought painfully. Tamaki looked at the faces in front of him. Honey-senpai was bobbing his head up and down while Mori-senpai merely rose his eyebrow. The twins glared at him balefully.

"Eh?!" he muttered before falling into a dead faint.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Ring. Ring. Ring.**_

Kyouya glanced at the cell phone in his hand and took note of the caller.

_**Suou Tamaki.**_

He ignored it.

Haruhi looked at him questioningly. "Ano, aren't you going to answer that, senpai?"

"No," he answered coldly.

The phone rang again. Kyouya was slightly irritated by his persistence. Still ignoring the call, he pushed a few buttons and set the device on silent mode, then slipped it into his shirt pocket.

Haruhi looked on curiously since Kyouya always answered his calls. Well, it was really none of her business she thought indifferently; then turned her face towards the window to watch the passing scenery.

Now that he was alone with her, Kyouya wondered what he should do. As he stared at her profile, he mentally berated himself for his rash actions. Though, if he were to be honest, he'd already been thinking of a way to spend some private time with Haruhi for quite awhile now. It baffled him really, how this plain commoner (ok fine, she was not plain at all, and she was anything but common) had managed to get under his skin and worm her way into his heart.

Unlike the movies, there were no warning signs. No bolts of lightning or shooting stars— not even any of those soul-searing moments. He just woke up one morning _**knowing**_ that he had fallen in love.

He grimaced at the cheesy thought. But really, his impulsive behavior had now put him at a slight disadvantage. He had to come up with a plan, and fast. He had no meetings to go to, and had merely improvised at the spur of the moment. The chance had been to good to pass up, and Kyouya was always willing and eager to take advantage of an interesting situation…

The continued vibrations of the cell in his pocket broke through his introspection. Annoyed, he pulled it out roughly and flipped it open. Several messages were queued and waiting to be read.

_**Message 1**_

_**Suou Tamaki: Okaa-san! Haruhi is MISSING!! Alert the police! Alert your **_

_**guards! Alert everyone!!**_

Kyouya rolled his eyes skyward. This was so like Tamaki, his theatrics reaching him even through the air waves.

_**Message 2**_

_**Suou Tamaki: Why aren't you picking up? Yoohoo! Kyouya! This isn't the time **_

_**to be acting bratty. Our daughter has been kidnapped! **_

_**KIDNAPPED you hear?? Answer your darned phone!**_

His eyes narrowed dangerously. Bratty? **HE** was acting bratty? "I'm going to strangle that stupid man when I see him," he muttered to himself angrily. Almost immediately, another message came in.

_**Message 3**_

_**Suou Tamaki: Okaa-san! Where are you? Good lord, have you been taken too? **_

_**Don't worry, Daddy will save you as well! Then together we'll find **_

_**our precious daughter and be reunited once more!**_

Kyouya growled low in his throat. Amazing! Out of all the possible reasons to explain his disappearance, he would have to jump to the most idiotic of conclusions…

Haruhi looked up at the sound. "Senpai?" she asked worriedly.

Giving her a fake smile he replied, "It's nothing Haruhi. Just sit back quietly and relax."

She shot him an irritated look. "Relax, senpai? I could be doing just that right now if you would only take me home!" Haruhi bit out pointedly, her tone ripe with frustration.

Kyouya was about to answer when he was cut off by another annoying vibration. This time, he counted three of them.

He looked at her and murmured, "Hold that thought for a second," then began to read the new messages.

_**Message 4**_

_**Hitachiin Kaoru:This is low Kyouya-senpai, low even for you. Hikaru is foaming at **_

_**the mouth and tono has fainted. We'll remember this senpai, and **_

_**rest assured that WE WILL GET EVEN. **_

_**Message 5**_

_**Suou Tamaki: Okaa-san… sdgirihn#9(&#&YH99e849(T(IF!!**_

Past the 'okaa-san,' Tamaki's message was gibberish. Kyouya wondered if he had fainted again. He glanced at Haruhi and found that she was staring at him with a decidedly impatient look on her face. He pretended not to notice and opened the last message.

_**Message 6**_

_**Hitachiin Hikaru:VILE… UNDERHANDED… SCHEMING CRETIN!! KYOUYA-SENPAI**_

_**I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND BEAT THE LIVING CRAP OUT OF **_

_**YOU! I WILL KICK YOUR EVIL ASS INTO THE NEXT SOLAR SYSTEM, **_

_**THEN I WILL GLADLY HUNT YOU DOWN ALL OVER AGAIN AND **_

_**REPEAT EVERYTHING!! WHERE IS HARUHI?! BRING HER BACK— NOW!!**_

Hikaru's message was… colorful. Obviously the elder of the twins was more than angry, he was enraged. Kyouya let out a breath that would have been considered a sigh had somebody else released it. But Kyouya was Kyouya and he never sighed, it was beneath him to do so.

This simply wouldn't do. He contemplated turning his phone off but ultimately decided against it. One of his beliefs in life was that you can never tell when an opportune moment would strike, and he was loath to break away from his habits. He could deal with the minor inconvenience that was the Host Club, for the time being anyway.

"Kyouya-senpai, is something wrong? You look like you just swallowed a bug or something equally disgusting." Haruhi observed as she tilted her head to one side and considered the expression on his face.

Taken aback at her blunt comment, he replied a bit peevishly, "No Haruhi, nothing is wrong. And where are your manners? Don't you know that such comments are unbearably rude?"

She shook her head, and looked at him wide-eyed. "Ah, gomen Kyouya-senpai. I meant no offense." She sighed and casually remarked, "It was just an observation."

They had been driving around for some time and Haruhi was starting to feel restless. There were a million things she could be doing now, not to mention, she had at least a few dozen chores to take care of at home. Things that she was unable to do because Kyouya refused to let her go; she thought, fuming inwardly. Although she was used to constantly getting kidnapped and dragged around like a sack of flour by the twins, being abducted by Kyouya was an entirely new experience.

She threw a dark glare his way, "Senpai, where are we going?" she demanded crossly, "I'd like to go home now… please," she added almost as an afterthought.

Pushing his glasses up his nose he replied easily, "I'm afraid I can't allow that just yet Haruhi."

She stared at him in absolute disbelief. "You… can't… allow… it?" she asked, each word rolled of her tongue in increasing volume. Her usually languid eyes were glowing with tightly suppressed fury.

Kyouya looked at her calmly, ignoring the threatening light in her eyes as he answered slowly. "You see, I have a small problem and I find that your help would be most useful in solving it," he ended deadpan, the light reflected by his glasses concealing the uncertainty in his coal-black eyes.

Behind his back, Kyouya crossed his fingers and prayed that Haruhi's inherent obliviousness would help him regain the upper hand. He needed her consent to put in motion the beginnings of the plan that was forming in his mind.

"Ha!" she exclaimed triumphantly, "So that's it! I knew there was something fishy going on here!" She folded her arms and glowered at him, accusations fairly screaming from dark brown orbs. "If this is all you wanted, you should have just said so from the start!" She muttered in exasperation.

"And you would have agreed right away?" he asked derisively, raising a raven brow.

"Er, no," she admitted truthfully, a faint blush tingeing her cheeks pink.

"There's your answer then," he rasped smoothly. "Well Haruhi," he inquired, "will you help me?"

Haruhi continued to regard him with suspicion, then cautiously asked, "If I help you with this senpai, will you promise to take me home?"

Kyouya looked at her solemnly and replied, "Hai."

She looked at the determined expression on his face and knew that her decision had already been made.

Haruhi let out a huge and heavy sigh, "Okay senpai, you win," she said in a resigned voice. "Now what is it exactly, that you need my help with?"

Kyouya gave her a devastating grin, and answered, "You see Haruhi, it's like this..."


	4. Chapter 4

Haruhi stared at the behemoth before her with a look of complete and utter consternation. When Kyouya said they were going fishing, she didn't think he meant it in the literal sense.

She turned to the dark-haired man standing silently beside her and dryly asked, "What are we doing here again, senpai?"

Kyouya angled his head to face her. He took in the wry twist of her lips and the puzzlement in her eyes and almost grinned. Instead, he answered in a remarkably even voice, "You are aware of course, that I bought my father's company awhile back are you not Haruhi?"

Haruhi had a vague idea regarding what happened during the Festival, but at that time, she had been more concerned about Tamaki's decision to marry Éclair Tonnere and return to France. The issue of the Ootori takeover had somehow gotten lost in the furor that had ensued, and as a result, was quickly forgotten. After the excitement died down, she had wanted to ask Kyouya about it. But since her fellow hosts never brought the subject up, she decided to keep her mouth shut as well. What little she knew, she learned from the other Ouran students who talked about it in hushed tones. Which was to say, she knew absolutely squat.

"Well Kyouya-senpai," she said carefully, "all I know is that you bought the company before Grand Tonnere could, and handed over control back to your father. Beyond that…" she merely shrugged her shoulders.

Kyouya nodded approvingly, "Not bad Haruhi. That's basically the gist of things. I don't need to bore you with the details," he ended dismissively. "Anyway, let's get moving."

He started walking. His long and even stride briskly propelling him forward. Belatedly, Kyouya realized that Haruhi was no longer by his side. He glanced back and found her staring at him.

Then softly, she said, "You haven't answered my question senpai. Why are we here? I still don't understand what it is you require of me. You say you need my help, but I can't see how my being here will bring you any merits."

He glanced at her and said, "I'll explain once we're inside." Kyouya then held out his hand to her and impatiently commanded, "Come, Haruhi."

Haruhi considered the outstretched arm before her for what seemed like an eternity. Then as she placed her hand in his, she wondered again, what in kami's name she had gotten herself into.

* * *

The trip to the island had passed in relative peace and silence. For the most part, he had the seas to thank for that, he thought beaming broadly. Who would have guessed that the indomitable Fujioka Haruhi was actually seasick? She had been fine when they had gone to the beach. And when he casually pointed that out, his smile (mixed with a slight grimace) widened even further, remembering.

_She gave him an evil look, at the same time clutching her stomach— trying to control the rising bile._

"_You should have told me about your affliction Haruhi," he murmured calmly. "I could have requested for motion sickness pills before we left." _

_Haruhi closed her eyes and shuddered as a spasm wracked her body. Opening them, she found herself looking into Kyouya's face, and she could have sworn she saw a flicker of something in the obsidian depths before it was quickly concealed. Could it have been concern? She mulled over the thought quietly, then decided that it was probably just a figment of her imagination. "If I had known about this senpai," she gritted out each word sharply, "I wouldn't have gotten on board this blasted thing!"_

_She was about to say more when a pitiful moan escaped her lips, as another tremor raced through her. Kyouya was at her side immediately._

"_You should rest for a bit, Haruhi. The place we're going to is still about half an hour away." He gently led her to the divan in the corner and helped ease her down. _

_Haruhi was too tired to resist and allowed Kyouya to guide her there. Her eyes had been closed the entire time, in an effort to keep the queasiness at bay. Through a haze of pain, she felt the caress of cool fingers as they gently brushed away strands of hair from her face. She was shocked to feel a jolt of pure awareness as her brain finally registered the warmth of his lean hands lingering on her cheek._

_Her eyes flew wide open and her dazed caramel eyes collided with Kyouya's jet-black ones. He did not look away, his hand still lightly touching her face. His expression dared her to say something._

_Haruhi looked at Kyouya with growing dread, "Ano senpai, I think I'm going to be sick," and proceeded to throw up on his immaculately clad feet. _

Kyouya looked up as Haruhi came out of the bathroom, cheeks still flushed— whether it was from the effort of emptying her stomach of its contents earlier or from plain embarrassment, he couldn't tell.

Perhaps it was a combination of both he thought contemplatively. He fixed his unblinking gaze on her and solicitously asked, "Feeling better, Haruhi?"

She fell down on the divan with a plop and muttered, "Hai senpai," before burying her face in one of the brightly colored pillows.

Wordlessly he moved closer to her, and sat on the chair nearby. "Do you plan on smothering yourself to death, then?" he inquired almost pleasantly.

Haruhi wanted to die. She wished she could crawl into a hole and disappear. And _**he **_wasn't making things any easier, she thought petulantly. His nearness was wreaking havoc on her senses. Though why she was feeling hot and cold flashes due to his proximity was beyond her. She exhaled noisily, reassuring herself that her body was probably still reacting to the continuous rocking motion of the ship.

"Look," Kyouya began, only to be interrupted by her mournful whisper.

"Ah, gomen nasai Kyouya-senpai."

Kyouya paused, was that what she was worried about? He looked at Haruhi, who was still lying face down and apparently trying to fuse herself into the mattress. "It's not your fault, Haruhi." He said impassively, "Unless it was your intention to ruin a perfectly good pair of Gucci's?" He queried, raising an impeccably groomed brow.

"No," she managed to reply through the layers of cloth that muffled her lips.

"So what's the problem? I must admit that while the situation is highly entertaining, this reluctance of yours to face me is trying my patience."

Kyouya saw her small body jerk involuntarily at his words. He continued to bait her, "Is it possible that you, who have never backed down in the face of anything, are actually a coward?" he taunted cruelly.

"Eh, it's not that Kyouya-senpai," she answered clearly. She sat up gingerly, her body ready to jump up and run at the smallest indication of another unwarranted trip to the bathroom. She definitely did not want a repeat of their earlier mishap.

Haruhi looked at him from the corner of her eyes, "I was merely thinking about how much that accident will add to my debt," she ended dismally.

Just thinking about the millions of yen she still owed the Host Club was enough to make her want to cry. And every time she came close to reducing it by a fraction, these _unfortunate_ _incidents_ kept happening and she'd end up further in debt than when she first started out. Like the world was conspiring against her she thought in mild disgust.

Kyouya blinked, then stared at her incredulously. This was what she was concerned about? He couldn't help himself; he began chuckling softly. Trust Haruhi to come up with the most inappropriate of reactions.

"It's not funny senpai," she muttered grumpily.

"On the contrary Haruhi, it is extremely amusing," he stated matter-of-factly, a wry smile curving his perfectly chiseled lips. He went on, "Don't stress yourself as I have no intention of adding the cost of my ruined shoes to your account."

Haruhi was looking at him so hopefully that he couldn't resist the urge to tease her some more. Kyouya pushed his glasses up his nose and murmured, "Now the cost of _having them cleaned_ on the other hand…" he let his sentence trail of.

Her face fell at that. Kyouya burst out laughing at her dejected look. "Cheer up Fujioka, I was only teasing you."

Teasing? Since when did the Shadow King tease? The idea was preposterous, Haruhi thought, unaware that she had spoken the words out loud.

Kyouya stiffened visibly and replied in a wooden tone, "I'm sorry to disappoint you Haruhi. But even I, have my occasional moments of humanity."

She groaned. "Kyouya-senpai, gomen nasai." Haruhi sighed. "I seem to keep saying that a lot today?" she offered tentatively.

He bit back the sarcastic retort, and breathed deeply. He ran a hand through his hair, "This is not going according to my plans," Kyouya murmured ruefully.

"Given these," he waved a hand around to encompass the room and its occupants, "unusual circumstances, it would be best if we treated today differently don't you think, Haruhi?"

She looked at him warily and asked, "Meaning?"

The intercom buzzed and a disembodied voice said, "Pardon the interruption Ootori-sama, but we will be docking in ten minutes."

Kyouya pressed a button on the wall and answered, "Arigatou Hotta, we will be up shortly."

Haruhi watched him expectantly. "You were saying?"

He shot her a disarming smile and said, "I am simply proposing that we call a truce for today, ne?"

"Eh, I was unaware that we were fighting senpai," she responded, a quizzical look on her face.

There was something to be said about dealing with such a dense person. Kyouya's eyes took on calculating gleam, "Haruhi, I need to gain a commoner's perspective of the activities we will be taking part in today. You will provide me with those insights." He enunciated succinctly.

"In exchange, this will be," he hesitated slightly before going on, "a free day of sorts, wherein you can say or do anything— within reason of course, without having to worry about the Shadow King making an appearance." He ended mockingly.

Kyouya's mouth turned up at the corners at her doubtful look. "Ok, well, he'll try not to make an appearance," he amended.

"Fine. Whatever. Kyouya-senpai, let's just get this over with." She grumbled, throwing him an uncharacteristic glare.

"Don't be so glum Haruhi, I can be… a pleasant enough companion when I wish. Who knows? You just might have fun today." He said grinning evilly.

"Hmmmnnn," she murmured noncommittally. "I suppose so, Kyouya-senpai."

Ok… if she were to be objective, she had to admit that Kyouya could be charming when he wanted. And he was certainly handsome enough; his dark looks complementing Tamaki's brilliance perfectly. That he was the least designated of hosts, was something Haruhi believed Kyouya had _engineered _on purpose. Preferring to devote his time jotting down notes and juggling figures on that wretched laptop of his she thought uncharitably.

"Another thing Haruhi," he murmured softly. "Let's do away with this 'senpai' nonsense. Today I am simply Kyouya." He stated, giving her an enigmatic smile.

She stared at him, hard. Ootori Kyouya was everything **but** simple. Haruhi let out a weary sigh. It was going to be a long day.


	5. Chapter 5

A cloud of gloom was emanating from a corner of the Suou Second Mansion, where the depressed heir was crouched, hugging his knees tightly.

"How much longer do you think tono plans to stay in that corner and sulk?" Kaoru asked his scowling brother.

Hikaru shrugged his shoulders, sliding a sideways glance at the person in question. "Obviously he's in one of his escapist moods," he murmured, letting his voice rise another notch, "what he doesn't realize is that every minute he spends in that catatonic state of his gives Kyouya-senpai all the time in the world to have his wicked way with Haruhi!" he ended in a near shout, glaring hatefully at the distressed blonde.

Tamaki leaped out of the corner, completely red in the face. "You wretched Hitachiin clones! This is all your fault!" he roared, pointing an accusing finger at the twins. "If you hadn't scared Haruhi this morning, she wouldn't have run away and gotten herself captured by that four-eyed oni!" he spat out bitterly.

His words only managed to inflame the already furious teen. Hikaru shoved his face closer to Tamaki's and retorted angrily, "What are you yapping about? Haruhi ran away from you and your constant manhandling," he snarled, baring his teeth. "This is your fault tono!"

Honey watched the scene with worried eyes. Tamaki and Hikaru traded insults back and forth while Kaoru acting as the referee, was desperately trying to keep the two from ripping each other apart.

"BAKA!" Hikaru shouted.

"CREEP! WEIRDO!" Tamaki rejoined, eyes blazing.

He sighed heavily. Their bickering was getting very troublesome indeed. If this continued, the two hosts might very well murder each other. Not to mention, Tamaki calling Kyouya an oni… Honey shook his head; that was pretty serious since the amiable boy never called anyone names.

"Tama-chan, Hika-chan," Honey called out in his ridiculously cute loli-shota voice, "You should stop fighting." He admonished seriously. "Even if Kyou-chan did take Haruhi, I don't think we have anything to worry about. It is Kyou-chan after all, right Takashi?" he asked the unsmiling man beside him uncertainly.

"Ah," Mori grunted in response.

Tamaki looked at them with grief-stricken eyes. "Honey-senpai! All the more reason why we should find Haruhi right away; precisely because IT IS Kyouya!"

Hikaru and Kaouru nodded in agreement. "That's true Honey-senpai," Kaoru averred morosely.

"Have you forgotten? That Shadow King is capable of anything!" Tamaki wailed piteously. "We have to find them Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai! We have to find them soon!"

TAMAKI INNER MIND THEATER

He looked on, appalled to see a ragged-looking Haruhi forced into indentured servitude by a criminal mastermind (who suspiciously resembled Kyouya). The man was wielding a huge whip over her and laughing menacingly, a gleaming reflection from his glasses the only light in the dark…

"Oh my poor darling daughter," Tamaki moaned, placing a hand on his chest. "Are you cold and lonely without daddy? Aahhh my troubled heart." He murmured, striking a rather pathetic pose. "Is okaa-san being mean to you? Fear not my beloved child! Daddy will rescue you from the demonic clutches you're ensnared in."

As Tamaki went on and on with his monologue; the twins were busy whispering furiously to each other in another part of the room, all the while glancing covertly at their melodramatic King.

"He'd never agree to it," Kaoru pointed out reasonably. "It's too sneaky for tono, you know how he is." He ended with a small shrug.

Hikaru stole a peek at Tamaki, who was still deeply engrossed in his self-indulgent speech. He growled in frustration, the thought of Haruhi alone with Kyouya caused a fiery pain to burn in his stomach. And their idiot lord was too busy being stupid to come up with a plan.

"I know that Kao, but what other choice do we have?" he muttered through gritted teeth. "At the rate he's going," Hikaru inclined his head in the direction of the posturing blonde, "Haruhi might be very well be _married _by the time he finally takes action, if at all." He finished disgustedly.

"MARRIED? Who's getting married?" Tamaki shouted indignantly.

Kaoru looked pained. "How disgraceful tono, I thought you said it was rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?" he inquired blandly.

"And if you must know," Hikaru replied casually, "We were just discussing how boring it will be when Haruhi leaves the Host Club," he murmured, a strange glitter sparkling in his eyes.

"Eh, why would Haruhi leave the Host Club?" Tamaki asked quizzically.

"Why, when she marries Kyouya-senpai, of course." Hikaru ended innocently, though the devious glint reflected in the amber gaze made a mockery of the statement.

"Married," Tamaki whispered, blanching as he pictured it in his mind.

"Hai!" the twins chorused, "Married to the low blood pressure demon lord." They cackled evilly.

"No… no… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!" Tamaki cried in horror. "I forbid it! I absolutely forbid it! My precious daughter is too young to be married! And she's much too soft-hearted to be with that soulless profit-hungry fiend from hell!"

Hikaru and Kaoru saw the crazed light in Tamaki's eyes and mentally gave each other high fives. Now the only thing left was to get the Host King to agree to their scheme.

"Now tono," Hikaru remarked carelessly, "We have a proposition for you, if you're interested that is."

Tamaki stopped his pacing and went toe-to-toe with the redheaded underclassman. "Just what are you getting at, you pesky troll?" he asked scathingly.

Kaoru eyed the two for a second, briefly considering the possibility of allowing them to knock each other senseless. Ultimately, he decided that cleaning up the mess would be more trouble than it was worth. He sauntered over to place a restraining arm around his brother's shoulder, effectively halting the angry reaction Hikaru was about to let out at being called a 'pesky troll.'

"Tono," Kaoru murmured slyly, "if you're willing to play with us, the winner gets to be Haruhi's knight-in-shining-armor!"

The brothers looked at one another, "It's called the Race to Rescue Haruhi from the Forces of Darkness Game!" they crowed in unison.

Tamaki started berating the younger boys about how wrong it was to turn a serious matter into a comical farce. He was shouting words like "how horrid" and "it was unbecoming of a host" into the amused faces of the twins. The brothers of course were adamantly defending the suggestion with their lives. However Tamaki demurred, as ungraceful as it was, he would take part in the contest because he had to save his darling daughter— reasoning that that was what 'daddies' did.

Mori watched the scene with hooded eyes. For the most part, he usually tried to avoid getting embroiled in anything the twins cooked up (which were for the most part engineered for the express purpose of tormenting Tamaki). He glanced down at his small and normally bubbly cousin, and noted the lack of effervescence in his demeanor. The Haninozuka warrior had a worried look on his adorable face. A muscle in Mori's right eye twitched, the only sign that betrayed his inner turmoil. He supposed it couldn't be helped.

Hikaru, Kaoru," Mori said monotonously.

The three arguing hosts started in surprise and shot uneasy glances his way. "Er, what is it Mori-senpai?" Kaoru queried hesitantly. Caution was the better part of valor he believed, and in this case, it would be wise to treat the taller senpai with kid gloves.

Honey was watching him expectantly. Mori cleared his throat and intoned deeply, "Mitsukuni and I will enter the Race to Rescue Haruhi from the Forces of Darkness Game as well." He finished, smiling slightly as Honey started jumping up and down with renewed energy.

Three pairs of eyes were glued to him, taken aback by the declaration. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??" they demanded.

A grunt was the only acknowledgment they received. "Mitsukuni, let's go." He told the tiny blonde clinging to his side.

"Hai, Takashi!" he gurgled happily. "Let's go save Haruhi!"

* * *

_**for those who aren't familiar with the terms used, here are the translations (as suggested by teeenaaa :) thanks again for pointing that out):**_

_**Hai - Yes**_

_**Tono - Lord/ My Lord**_

_**Senpai - respectful title for an upperclassman/ senior  
**_

_**Gomen/ gomen nasai - Sorry**_

_**Arigatou - Thank you**_

_**Ja/ ja ne - Goodbye/ See you later**_

**_Oni - Demon_**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

**Waaaah! So sorry for taking so long to update! I got sidetracked... heehee! A friend of mine turned me on to HanaKimi and I have to admit... I finished reading all 23 volumes over the weekend! My eyes are puffy from lack of sleep and from staring at my laptop screen for hours at a time! **

**Anyway, I made this chapter longer to make amends. :D**

**Hope you enjoy and please, feel free to comment and review! I become positively fired up when I read your words of encouragement! **

**So thank you all for continuing to read this little story of mine!**

* * *

Her palms were pressed lightly against the clear glass, and she stared transfixed at the sight before her. The graceful motion of the giant kelp and live corals were almost hypnotic.

The inhabitants of the artificial dome swam lazily with the current, as though without a care in the world. Mature hawksbill turtles and leatherbacks congregated near the bottom, and a huge napoleon wrasse played hide-and-seek with several white-tipped nurse sharks amidst the massive rock formations.

Kyouya sat on one of the long benches that circled the area and observed her quietly. Haruhi had been silent for quite some time now, as she absorbed their surroundings with her usual intense concentration.

If he were to examine his feelings closely, he'd have to admit that this particular trait of hers was one of the things that had attracted him initially. She was always so calm (well, maybe indifferent was a more fitting description), the total opposite of the usual screaming and excitable females they were exposed to. And while he agreed with the twins that she failed dismally as a heroine, Kyouya believed that she was perfect just the way she was.

"What are you thinking about senpai?" Haruhi asked as she sat down beside him.

Kyouya stared at her blankly for a few seconds, her words barely registering in his mind.

Haruhi cleared her throat and repeated, "Eh senpai?"

"I thought we agreed to dispense with the formalities today, Haruhi?" Kyouya asked smoothly, parrying her question with one of his own. Obviously he needed time to regain his bearings.

She blinked in surprise, and then nodded her assent. "Gomen Kyouya, I forgot. It takes a bit of getting used to." She added dryly.

"Is it so hard to call me by my given name?" he inquired interestedly.

Haruhi mulled over the question, then after a few seconds answered, "It's not hard per se I think— I guess it's more like I find it strange that you would suddenly ask me to call you Kyouya now, when you've been 'senpai' to me all this time." She ended honestly. "Does that make sense?" She gave a small laugh, "It's the best way I can explain it," she said apologetically.

Kyouya pushed his glasses upward to ease the soreness at the bridge of his nose. He gave her a sideways look and murmured, "Fair enough."

Feeling a bit restless, Haruhi started swinging her legs back and forth in a steady beat. Her feet barely touched the ground so the careless movement wasn't really of great import but Kyouya noticed it anyway.

"Is there something not to your liking, Haruhi?" he inquired mildly. Kyouya watched as an attractive flush warmed her cheeks. "Or perhaps you are bored by my company?"

She scuffed the toe of her shoe on the marble floor, refusing to look at him. "It's not that," she said quietly.

Kyouya gave her a dry smile, "Something is obviously bothering you, otherwise you wouldn't have that dismal expression on your face," he observed calmly. "I must admit I'm a bit surprised by your reaction, Haruhi. I'd have thought the serenity of this place would appeal to you." He chuckled wryly, "Apparently I've miscalculated the perversity of your feminine spirit."

Haruhi shot him a disgusted look and muttered, "Hai, hai. It's not a matter of being a boy or a girl Kyouya."

She stood up and walked to the picturesque scene before them, her face a few inches away from the clear glass. Haruhi breathed softly and watched as a fine mist coated the thin wall, which was the only thing separating her from the underwater paradise Kyouya's company had created. It was breathtaking really, but for some strange reason it made her feel unbearably sad…

Rising soundlessly from his seat, Kyouya moved casually to her side. They took in the spectacle before them in a companionable silence.

Kyouya slid a contemplative glance her way, and wondered briefly at the shadows clouding those beautiful orbs. He watched patiently, waiting for her to speak.

She was painfully aware of the warmth radiated by the taller boy. Haruhi was slightly confused by the conflicting emotions running through her.

She let out an inaudible sigh. The day had started normally enough. She even had her whole day mapped out— grocery shopping in the morning, then various household chores in the afternoon. The thought of NOT doing anything but lounge about in bed in her PJs had also crossed her mind.

Of course all her lovely plans had swiftly gone down the drain the minute she stepped out of the house.

Haruhi had not counted on being ambushed by the Host Club, then fleeing from their overwhelming presence for dear life.

She had definitely not counted on bumping into Kyouya, which had resulted in her being held hostage by the Shadow King, while on a mission to survey his kingdom.

Least of all, she would never in a million years have expected to be where she was right now— beside this ebony-haired and dark-eyed _devil _who was studying her thoroughly, as though toying with several ideas on how else to torture her...

A low growl rumbled in her throat, and her hands unconsciously balled into fists at her side. "Why are you looking at me like I've grown an extra head or two?" she accused him irately.

The statement was so ridiculous that Kyouya burst out laughing. He had prepared himself for one of her rousing speeches, however that strangely phrased question took him completely by surprise.

"My dear Haruhi," he drawled in amused tones, "I was merely waiting for you to continue your monologue." Biting back a chuckle at her indignant expression, "You were saying that it's not a matter of being a boy or girl?" he prompted, "Please continue."

Haruhi pursed her lips and turned away from him in disgruntlement. Feeling Kyouya's expectant and piercing eyes on her, she gave up. Face still averted, she gathered her scattered thoughts.

She was about to talk when her attention was caught by a gigantic manta ray gliding past them, it's elegant wings spread wide as it performed a graceful and eerie dance.

Haruhi was entranced by the sight and turned to him in wide-eyed excitement, "Kyouya, look!" she breathed. "Isn't it beautiful? I've never seen a real one before, and so close…" she said in an awestruck voice.

"Hmmnn… yes, beautiful," Kyouya murmured in agreement, slate eyes fixed on something that was definitely not even remotely fish-like.

"It's so much more regal-looking and majestic than what we see in picture books eh?" She ended with a wide grin.

Haruhi leaned forward and pressed her forehead against the cool glass. She felt as though if she reached out her hand, she would become part of this magical and ethereal playground.

"Ano…" she said haltingly, "Ano, arigatou Kyouya," Haruhi whispered, her voice seemingly drowned out by the thunderous beating of her heart.

Kyouya was about to make a snide remark but found himself hesitating, something in her voice…

"Why are you thanking me?" he asked instead.

Haruhi started talking, softly at first. "I was going to tell you that I hated this place. That these transparent walls are nothing more than a farce and an empty promise."

Kyouya held his tongue and listened, for the first time in his life he felt compelled to really listen. It was ironic that the one person who finally made him feel like this was this tiny slip of a girl…

"This whole place," she gestured to take in the whole area, "while undeniably beautiful, is still cold and artificial— it made me sad."

"And it has nothing to do with what I am. I think that anyone, whether the person is a boy or a girl would feel sorry for these creatures you've paraded about and callously put on display!" Haruhi insisted heatedly.

She jerked away from the tank and plopped down on a nearby bench. She risked a peek at her fellow Host, wondering if her blunt comments had somehow offended him.

Kyouya lounged casually in front of her, leaning against a stone pillar. She took note of the relaxed lines of his body and couldn't detect a hint of any other emotion on his face other than mild curiosity. This gave her the courage to go on.

"You've managed to create a wonderland, going as far as giving it an almost ethereal feel," Haruhi mused thoughtfully. "But all these artfully crafted designs can't hide the fact that these poor animals are trapped here, and for what? Money? Profit?"

She looked him squarely in the eye, "A cage is still a cage, Kyouya" she said with a crooked smile. "Even a pretty one made of glass… Although you guys have probably outdone yourself with this," she conceded grudgingly.

Kyouya removed his glasses and cleaned them with the hem of his shirt. "I take it that you disapprove of this then?" he asked calmly, returning the above-mentioned item firmly to its resting place. "I fail to see your point, Haruhi. Do you, or do you not like it? It's a simple question, no need to make it so complicated." he muttered in annoyance.

Haruhi glared at him fiercely. "I'm getting there, _Kyouya_. Geez! You're so impatient!" she exclaimed in exasperation.

Kyouya ignored the outburst and gave her one of his trademark smirks. "How can I not? When you're going around in circles," he pointed out sensibly.

She looked at him stupidly for a second, then went "Aaaaah! Forget it! I give up!" she said throwing her hands up in defeat.

"I just wanted to thank you, you stupid man," she mumbled crossly. "And I was trying to tell you that _I changed my mind. _Even if I don't agree with whatever your motives are for building this place, I realized that it's not so bad. In fact, it's a small price to pay for giving people a chance to experience nature's wonders first-hand."

In a small voice she continued, "I've never seen such a vibrant assortment of marine life before, and I doubt that I ever will. Unlike you, I don't think I'll ever get to dive in the Maldives or snorkel in Fiji or some other exotic place and _actually see them in the wild_. If you hadn't brought me here, I'd probably still be ignorant about a lot of things," she admitted candidly.

Haruhi let out the breath she'd been holding in. That manta ray… was amazing, and as she had watched its surreal dance, she realized a few things.

"I've been giving you guys flack for being stuck up 'rich bastards' when in reality, I'm the snob." She observed, grimacing ruefully. "It's not your fault that you were born rich, and if I think about it— most of you are actually rather nice, just not in the typical or conventional way."

Haruhi smiled at him apologetically, "So gomen Kyouya. And… arigatou for giving me this experience." She ended quietly, bowing her head in embarrassment.

Kyouya unfolded his lean form from the pillar and walked over to her. Her head was bowed down and she was the picture of exhaustion. He smiled at that. Fujioka Haruhi, you truly are an intriguing creature he thought in fond amazement. He halted a few steps away from her, "Come, Haruhi." He ordered imperiously, his tone brooking no argument.

She looked up at him and was surprised by the expression in his eyes. Despite the stern set of his face, she thought she glimpsed the ghost of a smile lurking around in those enigmatic depths.

For the second time that day, Haruhi placed her hands in his— trusting him implicitly.

As Kyouya clasped her small palm in his much larger one, she allowed herself to hope that maybe, just maybe… this day was going to be better than she expected.

* * *

**A/N:**

**_Gomen - Sorry_**

**_Arigatou - Thank you_**

** I got this idea while thinking about what would possibly appeal to Haruhi, yet still have her voice out some sort of objection (given that she's such a stickler for some things), and I came up with this. **

**I know it doesn't have the usual hilarity as with previous chapters, but I thought it was high time to put some serious stuff in here! (laughs evilly) Why? For one thing, I think Kyouya's feelings are deeper than he would like to admit... which of course would explain his actions.**

**Really, who else in the whole wide world would build an oceanarium for his loved one other than Ootori Kyouya? When he loves, he loves in A BIG WAY I guess! LOL.**

**(Although, it would have been much simpler to just get Haruhi a passport and take her to Fiji or wherever. Haha! But Kyouya is still a boy, and has his stupid moments. This idea had probably never even crossed his mind eh?)**

**So there, I hope you enjoyed and thanks again! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

"If we want to find her, we have to think like Kyouya-senpai," he declared decisively.

Hikaru stared at his brother blankly, "Yeah, sure… whatever," he mumbled, shoulder's slumped wearily.

Kaoru shot him a shuttered look and said, "What's up with that defeatist attitude? I thought this was supposed to be a fun game." He chided reprovingly. "Aren't you excited to see what idiotic solution tono will come up with?"

Hikaru shot him a harsh glare and replied, "What's wrong with you Kao? Why are you treating this so lightly? I thought you cared about Haruhi too!"

"Of course I care about her you dolt!" Kaoru snapped impatiently. Although he loved his twin dearly, there were days when he wanted nothing more than to bop him on the head. Haruhi could take lessons from Hikaru on denseness he thought sourly.

"Seriously, moping around and indulging in a pity party won't get us anywhere. Get your head out of you ass brother dear, and start helping me come up with a plan!" he demanded testily.

Hikaru clenched his fists in frustration. He knew what Kaoru was saying made sense, but every time he remembered that Haruhi and Kyouya-senpai were alone together… he could barely think straight and only felt like punching something. He inhaled deeply and began counting to ten, a trick Kao had taught him earlier to control his rising temper.

Kaoru hid a small smile as he heard his other half reciting his mantra under his breath. Hikaru had been confused about his feelings for Haruhi for a long time. When he had finally realized what it was he felt; he struggled quite a bit before coming to terms with himself. It was refreshing to see him displaying this much emotional restraint. Hikaru had taken a few more steps towards maturity and it was all thanks to a certain dark-haired ootoro-lover.

Which was why he would be damned if he'd let that megane character interfere with his carefully prepared plans. Kaoru had not given Haruhi up only to have her snatched away by just anyone, least of all Kyouya-senpai. If someone were to win her, it would have to be in a fair fight and on level playing ground.

But then again, after everything was said and done, it would still be Haruhi's decision. It was true that he loved Hikaru more than anything else, but Haruhi's happiness was also important to him. So in the end, it was really up to her and Kaoru vowed that no matter what the outcome would be, he would respect her choice.

The sound of a zipper being drawn down yanked his attention firmly to the present. He glanced back in time to catch Hikaru shrug off his jacket, and gracelessly fall into a chair by the window.

Kaoru sauntered over and casually looped an arm around Hikaru's waist, pulling him against his side.

"Don't worry Hikaru," he murmured comfortingly, "We'll find our toy soon enough. And besides, this is Haruhi we're talking about remember?" He gave his brother his most comforting smile, "Even if Kyouya-senpai were to pull any stunts, they would probably just roll off her back."

Kaoru threw up his hands and laced them carelessly behind his neck, looking out into the sky, "Haruhi… is about as dense as a rock after all," he ended matter-of-factly.

Hikaru perked up a bit at that, considering his twin's words seriously. "Well, that is true I guess," he conceded cautiously.

"Hai, it is!" Kaoru exclaimed grinning broadly. "So what do you say, eh? Don't you think it's time we put our devious minds to work?" he asked mischievously.

Despite his doldrums, Hikaru found himself answering his brother's wide smile with one of his own. "Hai Kao, and I think I have the perfect scheme…" he ended, a wicked glint flickering in his hazel eyes.

* * *

Tamaki was restlessly pacing the length of his room, his face scrunched up in a scowl. This wouldn't do, he thought to himself worriedly. Honey-senpai had Mori-senpai to help him out, and the twins… His scowl deepened even more as he thought of the Hitachiin duo.

The twins were no doubt hatching some evil plot while he was here at home, uselessly wearing a hole into the ground.

Tamaki stopped dead in his tracks. He was not going to accomplish anything by standing around here, bemoaning his fate. He had to take matters into his own hands.

"Curse you Kyouya," he muttered in annoyance, "You've taken advantage of your motherly rights and have gone too far." Unconsciously, his hands curled into fists at his sides.

"I, the beautiful Tamaki will rescue my darling Haruhi-hime from your thieving clutches!" he thundered bravely.

"Vengeance shall be mine!" he ended with a creepy laugh, in his mind's eye he pictured himself stomping down ruthlessly on a chibi version of Kyouya.

Just as suddenly as it erupted, his energy drained away and left him deflated. Tamaki sighed drearily, now only, where should he start?

* * *

"Ano, where do you think Kyou-chan took Haruhi Takashi? Honey questioned his cousin anxiously.

"It's useless to keep speculating Mitsukuni," he said deeply. "No amount of guess-work will enable us to come up with the right answer." Mori continued gently, placing a consoling hand on the shorter boy's shoulder.

At the taller man's words, Honey's small form seemed to shrink into itself, and he hugged Usa-chan as though there was no tomorrow.

In a soft voice he continued, "So what should we do Takashi?" he gripped the fluffy pink bunny even tighter, "I know that Haruhi is safe with Kyou-chan, he's a good person even if he tries to get people to believe otherwise."

"Ano, right Takashi?" he asked uncertainly, "Haruhi will be safe?" he finished, his lower lip trembling slightly.

"Hai," he assured the tiny blonde, Mori's stoic expression cracking to reveal a brief smile.

Somewhat reassured, Honey sighed gustily. "I wonder how Tama-chan, and Hika and Kao-chan are doing?" he murmured softly. "And Haruhi, I wonder what she's doing now?"

Mori patted his head fondly and rumbled, "They'll be fine Mitsukuni, don't worry. Now it's time for us to get going." He stated firmly.

"The best place to begin our search would be the Ootori mansion. It's not far-fetched to think that someone there would probably know Kyouya's whereabouts. So let's go Mitsukuni," he repeated assertively.

Mori was about to take a step when he was brought up short by a small hand tugging at his jacket.

He looked down at his cousin, who was gazing up at him with troubled and watery eyes.

"Mituskuni," he intoned.

"Ano, before we go Takashi…" Honey mumbled inaudibly.

"Hai," Mori prompted expectantly.

"Let's go eat some cake!!" he burbled cheerfully.

Mori's mask crumbled into a thousand pieces, and he staggered— staring blindly at the Haninozuka heir.

"We need to build up strength for our upcoming battle! Yay! Cakey cakey caaaaaaake!"

Unconcerned by the state his cousin was in, Honey babbled on merrily about the merits of strawberry versus chocolate cake, dragging a dazed and wobbling Takashi behind him.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Tono - Lord/ My lord**_

_**Megane (character) - Glasses/ glasses-wearing character**_

_**Hime - Princess**_

_**Chibi - Cute or small/ young version of someone usually used as a diminutive, though the meaning has evolved into a "small and deformed" version of a character (which is the case in this story :D)**_

_**Usa-chan - bunny/ Honey's pet name for his stuffed bunny  
**_


	8. Chapter 8

"Ah… Takashi-sama and Mitsukuni-sama, gomen nasai but Kyouya has already left," the butler answered apologetically. "I'm afraid Ootori-sama didn't leave word as to where he would be going today."

"I see," Mori replied emotionlessly. He could feel the tiny blonde's frustration and he halted any unwarranted action by placing a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Isn't there anyone here who would know what Kyou-chan's plans are for today?" he inquired in an even tone.

"I'm afraid we must contact him ASAP. Since it concerns one of our fellow club members, the matter is quite urgent." The lie slipped out smoothly enough, which was remarkable since Mori detested deceptions of any form or kind.

The grizzled old man shook his head regretfully and murmured, "Gomen that I can't be of more help. But the bocchama is very secretive, and he rarely shares his plans with anyone, least of all the hired help."

He tapped a finger against his chin, deep in thought. "Although," he said consideringly, "We can probably ask Security for assistance. It's standard that all drivers of Ootori-sama report their movements to the Ootori group's Private Police Chief."

Honey started jumping up and down excitedly. "Hai, hai! Really? When can we talk to him? Where is he? Is he here? How soon can you call him in?" he fired in rapid succession.

The Ootori butler's head was swimming in confusion, trying to keep up with the energetic lad's questions. "Ano, Captain Kanazawa should be here soon," he replied confidently. "He usually drops by to check on things at this time."

Mori had doubts as to whether they would be able to gather enough information before Kyouya caught on to them. He was not so idealistic to think that Kyou-chan would leave anything to chance.

Finally feeling pity for the kind old man, Mori interrupted Honey's candy-coated interrogation. "If that's the case, we will wait then. At least for a little while longer," he stated quietly.

* * *

"Aren't you done yet?" Kaoru questioned tersely. "Is it supposed to take this long?"

Hikaru gave his brother a piercing look and muttered through clenched teeth, "I'm working as fast as I can you know!"

He bit back an expletive as his laptop started beeping crazily. "Man! It was easier hacking into the government's mainframe than it is trying to get into Kyouya-senpai's computer!" he complained in annoyance.

Kaoru stared at his twin evenly. "So what? Are you saying you can't do it?" he demanded challengingly.

Hikaru gazed at Kaoru witheringly. He punched in a sequence of numbers and figures into his laptop. "I didn't say it was impossible Kao, just that it's a bit harder than I expected," he replied dryly.

Focusing his attention on the series of prompts that popped up on the screen, he hesitated slightly, before entering the complex code that would hopefully crack the data encryption on Kyouya-senpai's files.

"Bingo!" Hikaru exclaimed excitedly.

Kaoru dropped his chin onto Hikaru's shoulder and peered interestedly at what he was working on. It was all gibberish to him. "What? What happened? Have you found it?"

Hikaru was typing at a feverish pace, his eyes glued to the glowing screen. Without pausing, he murmured, "I've finally gotten past his firewalls and disabled the security alerts. All that's left is to search for the data we need and download it."

He quickly scanned the numerous folders on display. Looking for the information they required would be relatively easy since Kyouya-senpai was meticulously organized, and this carried over to his record-keeping.

"Holy Cow!" Kaoru whistled in amazement. "Kyouya-senpai has a file on everyone at Ouran…" he said in awe. "That's pretty scary," he mumbled to himself.

Silently, Hikaru agreed with his brother's observation. However, he was intent on accomplishing the task at hand. His hand stilled as he scrolled past several interestingly labeled folders (specifically Haruhi's and The Host Club's). He was sorely tempted to sneak a quick look into them, but thought the better of it. Despite their propensity for mischief, they had their own set of standards and moral ethics. Regretfully, he resumed his search for the elusive file.

"Hey Hikaru," Kaoru said sharply. "Back up a bit. Why don't you open that file?" he suggested helpfully.

"Which one Kao?"

"That one," he answered, pointing to a single folder with an obscure name.

"O.S.F.H" Hikaru read out loud. He raised a brow, intrigued. What could that possibly mean?

"Are you sure Kao? I was thinking that he'd probably save his schedule in his personal folders or something."

Kaoru shook his head. "That would be too obvious, which is unlike Kyou-senpai." He regarded the folder thoughtfully, then continued in a firm tone. "Hai, I'm quite positive that's it. Grab that one then get the hell out of there before he realizes we've burgled his computer."

He couldn't agree more. Hikaru pushed enter and started the download process.

* * *

A discreet beep sounded from his breast pocket. Kyouya casually took his phone out and flipped it open.

Aaahh… just as I suspected, he thought calmly. It has already begun. Kyouya glanced at the watch strapped to an elegant wrist, and noted the time. Even with his best effort, it would probably take Hikaru at least thirty minutes to disable the intricate traps he'd liberally laced his computer with, and perhaps another thirty to figure out which exact file to download.

One hour was more than adequate. By then they would be long gone from the island and en route to their next stop.

Kyouya's eyes took on a speculative gleam. He wondered what the others were up to. Briefly, he considered placing a call to Kanazawa-san to get an update on the other host's movements.

"Where are we going Kyouya and what else are we going to do? You said that I'm supposed to provide you with another perspective on your businesses. I don't see how what we've done so far will help you achieve that." Haruhi blurted out all of a sudden, effectively interrupting his train of thought.

"It's a surprise," he quipped flippantly. Deciding to postpone his call for later, he snapped his phone shut and slipped it back into his pocket.

Haruhi wrinkled her nose and muttered, "Eh, I don't like surprises. Much less ones that involve you Kyouya." She didn't even want to contemplate on what consequences she'd have to endure after receiving this so-called 'surprise' from the low blood pressure demon lord.

He looked at her squarely, "If you must know, we're visiting the latest addition to our health care line. We're pursuing another avenue in the medical field and we want to test its mass appeal," he replied coolly.

Haruhi looked at him quizzically. "I still don't understand why you've brought me along Kyouya."

"It's because we've designed it to cater to a commoner's taste, as well as streamlined our prices to suit a commoner's budget." He explained laconically, speaking slowly as though to a small and not so very bright child.

She threw him a hostile look, thoroughly insulted by his tactless words. "Why _thank you Kyouya_, if I had realized what an honor this was, I wouldn't have made such a fuss earlier," she rejoined stiffly.

"Why didn't you just pick up some random stranger on the street?" Haruhi snapped sarcastically. "At least then I wouldn't have had to get dragged into this ridiculous trip!"

A small smile played upon his full lips. "Are you taking offense at being called a commoner, Haruhi?" he asked amusedly.

She deliberately turned her back on him and stared fixedly out the window. "Whatever Kyouya," Haruhi grumbled crabbily, ignoring his rude question. "Let's just get this thing over with. I want to go home," she ended with a childish pout.

Behind her, Kyouya's small smile transformed into a self-satisfied smirk. So his reluctant partner cum advisor was getting cranky was she? Lucky for her he knew exactly what was needed to ease her tension.

It was definitely not without its merits, Kyouya mused shrewdly. Project O.S.F.H was progressing far better and more quickly than he had anticipated. It would be interesting to see how Haruhi would react to the next part of his master plan.

* * *

Kaoru blanched as he read the file. Great kami! Hikaru would go ballistic if he saw this. At all costs, he had to keep Hikaru from reading the contents of Kyouya's file.

"Yo Kaoru! Are you done? What does it say?" Hikaru inquired, stepping closer to his brother.

Kaoru hurriedly exited the file and gave Hikaru a falsely brilliant smile. "Ah, nothing much Hikaru, it's just like you said. Kyouya-senpai's schedule is jotted down in detail. Boring stuff really," he hastened to add.

Hikaru regarded his twin intently, trying to decide whether or not he was hiding something. Kaoru was acting particularly jittery and he wondered what he was up to.

"Are you keeping something from me Kao?" he asked suspiciously.

His right hand shot up and he beamed broadly, "Aww Hikaru, you're imagining things. I'm not hiding anything, I swear." He pronounced emphatically. "Scout's honor." All the while keeping the fingers of his left hand crossed behind his back.

Kaoru felt a bead of sweat forming at his temple and he offered up a prayer that Hikaru wouldn't notice it. Hikaru would take it as an admissible sign of guilt and pounce on him. He gave Hikaru his most winning smile.

Hai, he thought irritably. Kaoru was clearly covering up for something. As nonchalantly as he could, he murmured, "Hey Kaoru, I forgot my jacket in the other room. Can you go get it for me?"

Heaving a sigh of relief at his apparent acceptance of the white lie, "Sure!" Kaoru agreed instantly, making his way to the door.

As soon as he was out of sight, Hikaru wended his way to the laptop and enabled his search and recover program. Instantaneously, several windows popped up. The ones irrelevant to him, he closed one by one until all that was left was the O.S.F.H folder.

He double clicked on the only file within it, going with the hunch that had been gnawing at him.

Hikaru went white with rage as he read the header, which was highlighted and in boldface.

"Yo Hikaru, I couldn't find your…" the rest of his sentence died in his throat as Kaoru stared at his twin in mounting horror.

Hikaru was almost glowing with the strength of his fury. He moved jerkily towards his brother and roughly grabbed his arm.

"Hi… Hi… Hikaru," he whispered timidly.

"Shut… up… Kaoru" Hikaru rasped hoarsely, unable to say more due to the violent emotions that currently gripped him.

That one short sentence was probably the most horrible thing he'd seen in his entire life. Hikaru felt like heaving every time he thought about it. He wanted to banish it from his head but the words kept flashing repeatedly in his mind.

His greatest fear had been confirmed.

Kyouya-senpai's feelings for Haruhi were finally in the open, and he had made his first move. There was no time to lose, every second they stayed immobile allowed Kyou-senpai to further his cause.

Spurred to action, Hikaru began pushing his frozen brother forcefully out the door. "Let's go Kao, we NEED to retrieve Haruhi pronto," he growled fiercely.

"But Hika… I need to…"

"No!" he cut in harshly. "Leave now," Hikaru gritted out, "explanations later." Then he quickly ushered Kaoru out the door.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

**Hi guys! I already got my first question about Kyouya's mysterious file!! :D Can anyone guess what it stands for? Let your imagination run wild! I'm pretty sure you can figure it out. :P Hehe! I might reveal what it means in the next chapter... if I feel like it. :D **

**In the meantime****, let's all have fun with this! :D**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! **

**Thaaaaaaaaaanks! **

**- warmsugar**

_**Sama - (suffix) Formal version of "san." Respectful address towards important persons or those with higher rank  
**_

_**Chan - (suffix) - Informal version of "san." Used to address young children or a term of endearment for family, friends or anyone you are close to. May also be used as a "pet name" (as is the case in this story)  
**_

_**Gomen (nasai) - Sorry/ I'm sorry**_

_**Bocchama - Young Master**_

_**Hai - Yes**_

_**Ano - "Um" Expression of uncertainty**_

_**Senpai - Senior/ Upperclassman**_

_**Kami - God/ Deity**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:**_

_**I know promised I'd reveal the secrets of the O.S.F.H file in this chapter but... you'll have to be patient for a teensy bit longer! (Gomen gomen!)**_

_**Chapter 9 ran away with me and it's become unbelievably long so I decided to split it into two parts (so yes, you won't have to wait as long for chapter 10-- I should finish it within the day or so! :P)**_

_**Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to teeenaaa... who's been complaining about the lack of KyouHaru action! Hahaha! Hopefully this is enough to tide you over until their next fluffy moment! (wink)**_

_**So again, I hope you guys enjoy this!**_

_**And please, please feel free to review! :D**_

_**  
Thanks!!**_

* * *

She saw a blur of white and blue from the corner of her eye. A fine line appeared on Haruhi's forehead as she squinted against the afternoon sun.

"Ano, was that Hikaru and Kaoru I just saw that passed us by?" she asked the lean form sitting languidly beside her.

There was no point in lying; he would gain nothing from it. Kyouya settled for telling the truth. "Hai," he agreed in a bored tone.

"Shouldn't we stop and talk to them?" Haruhi asked uncertainly.

"They looked a bit…" she paused, searching for the right word. "They looked kind of frazzled Kyouya. Do you think something happened?" she finished, anxiety lacing her voice.

Kyouya's mouth quirked in ironic amusement. "There's no need to concern yourself with them Haruhi," he stated glibly.

"Are you sure?" she responded dubiously.

"I'm more than sure Haruhi, I'm absolutely positive," he replied with a condescending smile.

"But how do you know?" she persisted stubbornly.

Kyouya gave her a sardonic look and meaningfully enunciated, "Because I know what's troubling them."

"Oh," was all she could say. "So how come…"

Kyouya placed a finger against her lips, firmly stemming the flow of words. "Enough questions Haruhi," he admonished. "Their problem is nothing they can't handle by themselves."

It's just that they're no match against me is all, he thought smirking inwardly. He was surprised that they'd arrived at the pier this early though. If his calculations were correct, they were approximately fifteen minutes earlier than he expected. It seems he'd underestimated Hikaru's hacking prowess. It was no big deal though; he would just have to adjust his schedule accordingly.

Haruhi's eyes widened imperceptibly at the startling touch. Though his finger was cool, her lips felt like they were on fire. She hastily stamped down on her careening emotions and tried to stop a telltale flush from suffusing her cheeks.

She raised an arm and gingerly removed Kyouya's hand from her face, grumbling, "If you please…"

Kyouya removed his hand a little regretfully. "Aaahh gomen Haruhi," he returned apologetically (not sorry at all).

"Eh, it's alright Kyouya," she muttered with a distracted air, fighting the urge to rub her lips. It was weird but they were still tingling.

"Now, what were we discussing?" Kyouya asked conversationally, leaning closer.

His keen eyes missed nothing, and Kyouya was extremely pleased to see the heat rising in her adorably elfin face. It was obvious that at least on some level, she was aware of him. And the primal part of him was gratified to discover that she was not entirely indifferent to his manly appeal.

It was all coming together nicely. Touch by touch, she was slowly becoming conscious of him. Kyouya knew that this was the best way to woo his unwilling captive. Each soft caress was so inconspicuously stolen that Haruhi barely had time to process it, before he launched his next assault.

Kyouya was used to taking what he wanted. And though not a patient man by nature, he knew that the best things in life should be savored.

This was one of them. Each wide-eyed glance, each muffled sigh was sweet ambrosia to his starved senses. Kyouya reveled in the knowledge that his grand scheme was finally bearing fruit. He had waited long enough and it was time to claim his prize.

"Ano, what are you doing Kyouya? Why are you staring at me like that?" Haruhi questioned uneasily, fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat.

"I don't like it when you do that, I feel like your plotting out some merciless scheme to get me further in debt," she said in disgruntlement.

_The better to see you, my dear. _"I'm not staring," he denied smoothly, "You have something on your cheek." But as to plotting something, well, that was debatable he thought wryly.

Unwittingly, Haruhi started wiping her right cheek vigorously. "Nani? What is it? Where?"

He moved closer still. "On the other side, Haruhi," he murmured courteously.

Haruhi's caramel eyes flew up to meet his, she was greatly alarmed to find his face mere inches away from hers. She was acutely conscious of the sudden acceleration in her pulse and felt as if her heart would burst out of her chest at any moment. What was this feeling, Haruhi wondered almost incoherently.

Through the course of the Host Club's activities, she had constantly been thrown in the presence of Kyouya, but this was the first time she felt this way. No, scratch that. She had felt this earlier, on the boat… but she had chalked it up as part of her motion sickness.

And now, this.

She shied away from his nearness and started talking rapidly, to ease her growing discomfort. "Eh, Kyouya, you're too close," Haruhi complained. "I can't breathe with you bearing down on me like this."

_Ah, the better to hear you, my sweet. _"But you're speaking so softly," Kyouya reasoned out, "I can't hear you," he replied straight-faced and lying shamelessly.

He was almost forehead-to-forehead with her, and Haruhi swore she could just about smell the clean fragrance of his cologne. Kyouya smelled like a woodland breeze, fresh and faintly earthy. Visions of a fortress of trees and rolling meadows flashed in her head as she inhaled his heady scent.

Good grief! What in kami-sama's name am I thinking, Haruhi thought in rising apprehension. She was so busy trying to sort out her feelings that she didn't notice the predatory glint in Kyouya's eyes.

He knew that if innocence could be stored and bottled, it would be like this. Kyouya's nostrils flared slightly as he breathed in the delicateness that was all Haruhi. Sweet but not cloying, he smiled in sheer masculine approval.

Kyouya would never admit it out loud, but something about her tugged at his heart.

Perhaps it was those impossibly wide eyes of hers, which turned the color of rich dark chocolate whenever her equilibrium was disturbed.

Or maybe it was the way she could see right through him. How she could weed out the lies and subtle evasions to get at everything that was raw and honest within him.

Kyouya just wanted to gobble her up. He let his head slowly drop forward, until it grazed the smooth skin of her brow. Her lips were so close, so tantalizingly close.

"Kyou… Kyouya…" Haruhi stammered in escalating panic. "What are you doing?" she whispered frantically. His lips were practically on hers.

_The better to eat you, my love. _Kyouya dropped all pretense, his mouth curling in a wolfish smile. "What does it look like, Haruhi?" he whispered right back.

Unable to think rationally, Haruhi blurted out the first thing that popped into her head. "Ano, I guess this is how Little Red Riding Hood felt… the Big Bad Wolf and all…" she let her sentence trail of.

Kyouya jerked back in surprise, her words striking too close to home. He stared at her in bemusement.

Haruhi's face was stamped with naiveté and bewilderment, but she returned his gaze equably.

Kyouya burst out uproariously— and the spell was broken. He shot her an irrepressible grin, "Truly Haruhi? The Big Bad Wolf?" he repeated softly.

"That's quite an interesting notion," he murmured, pushing his glasses up his aquiline nose.

Unsure of what to make of this abrupt turnaround, Haruhi just counted her lucky stars and refused to read anything more into his bizarre reaction. "Hai," she assented with a relieved but rather grumpy sigh.

She averted her face to the side, her nerves clamoring at their near contact. Haruhi snuck a nervous peek at him, Kyouya's lips were still twitching with amusement.

Somewhere along the way, the balance had shifted and she needed time to digest and assimilate this new realization.

* * *

"What do you mean they're gone?" Hikaru demanded furiously.

"Er, gomen Hikaru-sama but Ootori-sama and his companion left about forty-five minutes ago," the concierge of the Ootori Ocean Park replied apprehensively.

"Arigatou for your help Namihara-san," Kaoru interrupted politely.

"Please excuse my foolish elder brother's rude remarks. I think he ingested too much salt-water on the way here and it's addled his brain." He stated blandly, aiming a pointed look at the fuming redhead.

"We'll be taking our leave then."

He started to turn, then halted mid-stride, "Oh by the way," he asked offhandedly. "Would you happen to know where he's headed next?" Kaoru gave her his most charming smile.

Ayumi Namihara was immediately captivated by the handsome host's engaging demeanor. And she answered rather regretfully, "Gomen Kaoru-sama, but we're not privy to that information."

Kaoru tried his best not to look disappointed. "It's okay Namihara-san," he hastily assured her. "Again, arigatou for your assistance. We'll be leaving now." He began dragging a sullen Hikaru behind him.

"Ah Kaoru-sama, I just remembered." She piped up.

Kaoru stopped and looked at her expectantly. "Hai?"

"I may not know where Ootori-sama has gone but your friends might. They're just taking a quick tour of the place and should be back shortly." Ayumi ended in a rush, squirming as she felt the baleful gaze of the other Hitachiin lighting upon her.

"Nani? What friends?" Hikaru bit out aggressively.

"Ah… they arrived a few minutes before you did." Her face scrunched up as she tried to recall their names. "I believe there was a Takashi-sama, a Mitsukuni-sama and an extremely handsome but rather dazed-looking man with them. What was his name again…"

"Tamaki-senpai!" The twins cried out in unison.

"Hai!" she affirmed happily. "It was indeed Tamaki-sama."

Hikaru looked at Kaoru in dismay. "How did they get here so quickly?"

"They arrived via chopper Hikaru-sama," Namihara provided helpfully.

They stared at each other and Hikaru shrugged sheepishly. "Gomen Kao, I didn't think of that."

"Yeah!" his twin shot back, "You were too busy twisting my arms to think properly."

"You're one to talk! This is your fault, after all! If you hadn't lied to me about the file, I wouldn't have gotten angry!" Hikaru snapped caustically at his younger brother.

Ayumi looked on in helpless confusion at the imminent fight that was about to break between the two brothers.

Kaoru gazed at him incredulously. "Angry? That's the understatement of the year! You were acting like a rabid dog Hikaru! I was just waiting for you to start foaming at the mouth," he retorted cuttingly.

"Why you…"

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?" a voice thundered.

Tamaki swiftly lunged forward and grabbed the snarling pair by the scruff of their necks. The malevolent look he gave each of them could have put even one of Kyouya's infamous death glares to shame, and they quieted down under the heat of his stare.

"You ungrateful louts!" Tamaki scolded grimly. "Bothering this beautiful lady who has been kind enough to help you with your troublesome antics."

Tamaki ruthlessly shoved them away from him, (they would have fallen in an ungraceful heap if Mori hadn't caught them as they stumbled forward) walking purposefully to Ayumi.

He bowed low. "I apologize for my minions boorish behavior." Tamaki went on, "You see, they're somewhat weak in the head, if you get what I mean." He stated in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Minions?" a strangled voice repeated behind them.

"Weak in the head?" another voice echoed disbelievingly.

"Takshi, make sure you hold on tightly to these two," Honey cautioned.

"Ah," Mori averred, tightening his grasp on the wriggling twins.

Tamaki was oblivious the struggle that was taking place behind him, heedlessly jabbering on about the woes of having such wantonly destructive underlings. Then he proceeded to bamboozle the hapless concierge with his flamboyant theatrics.

"Aarrgh! Let go of me Mori-senpai!" Hikaru gritted out, trying and failing miserably to escape from the vice-like grip of the tall senior.

Kaoru who had stopped moving wearily said, "Hai Mori-senpai. We promise we won't jump tono."

He caught Hikaru's gaze and held it. "Right Hikaru?" he asked, staring his brother down.

Hikaru continued his vain struggle for a few more seconds then gave in, "Sure. Fine. Whatever," he said in a sulky tone.

Immediately, Mori released his hold and Honey launched himself at Kaoru, at the same time questioning him rapidly. "Kao-chan! When did you get here? How? We rode in Tama-chan's he-li-cop-ter!" he sang out, excitement running over. Honey was jumping up and down and twirling around like a dervish.

"It was fun!" he nattered on merrily. "But Usa-chan was scared… I had to sing him a lullaby and promise him lots of cookies and cake before he stopped crying." He looked to Mori for agreement.

"Ne Takashi? We'll eat lots of cake later, right? Piled high with strawberries and lots of cream…" Honey's eyes had a glazed and dream-like quality to them.

The twins were staring wonderingly at Mori, who just shrugged.

"Sugar rush," he responded pithily.

As the only sensible one in the group, Mori felt it was his duty to ask questions (seeing that Tamaki was too busy playing host). He began to grill the wily brothers about how they learned that Kyouya would be taking Haruhi to the island.

Kaoru made a slashing motion with his hand and grinned. "Hikaru butchered Kyouya-senpai's computer!" he answered gleefully.

Honey looked at them in admiration, "Wow Hika-chan, I didn't know you were so talented."

Smiling at them innocently he went on, "Although, how do you think Kyou-chan will react when he finds out that you guys invaded his personal space?"

The two had obviously not considered this, and their faces paled as they imagined what tortures the Shadow King would mete out when he discovered their mutinous activities.

Honey was dancing around with Usa-chan in his arms, unaware he had dropped a bomb on the twins.

"Mitsukuni," Mori murmured, deftly grabbing the tiny whirlwind as he swung by and anchored him determinedly to his side. "We have things to discuss, and your movements are distracting," he reproved gently.

"Ano, gomen Takashi," he said contritely, promising to behave.

"What about you, senpai?" Hikaru asked curiously. "How did you get your hands on Kyouya-senpai's schedule?"

"We asked," he answered simply.

"Eh? Who? How? Where?" The brothers demanded in a riotous frenzy.

"Kanazawa-san," was his monotonous response.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Sama - (suffix) Formal version of "san." Respectful address towards important persons or those with higher rank  
**_

_**Chan - (suffix) - Informal version of "san." Used to address young children or a term of endearment for family, friends or anyone you are close to. May also be used as a "pet name" (as is the case in this story)  
**_

_**Gomen (nasai) - Sorry/ I'm sorry**_

_**Bocchama - Young Master**_

_**Hai - Yes**_

_**Ano - "Um" Expression of uncertainty**_

_**Kami - God/ Deity**_

_**Hai - Yes**_

_**Tono - Lord/ My Lord**_

_**Senpai - respectful title for an upperclassman/ senior  
**_

_**Usa-chan - Rabbit/ Bunny (Honey's stuffed bunny to be exact)  
**_

_**Arigatou - Thank you**_

_**Ja/ ja ne - Goodbye/ See you later**_

_**N**_**_ani - What_**


	10. Chapter 10

"_Ah, Morinozuka-sama and Haninozuka-sama, welcome!" a voice boomed out. Mori looked up to see a wide-girthed and jolly-looking father figure posing by the doorway._

"_Kanazawa-san, arigatou for stopping by to see us despite the short notice." Mori stood up, bowing politely._

"_It's no bother at all! In fact it's quite an honor!" he said winking at the tiny blonde standing beside Mori. "It's not everyday that you meet the two most promising martial artists in Japan, ne?"_

"_So how can I be of service to you boys?" he queried, sitting across them._

"_We need to find Kyou-chan!" Honey chirped._

_Mori nodded his confirmation._

_A shadow passed over Kanazawa-san's face, and he replied with forced joviality, "I wish I could help you, but Ootori-sama left strict orders that he shouldn't be followed." _

_He sighed. "I even had to call off the bodyguards tailing him," he added in mock frustration._

_Mori sensed that the captain had not disclosed the entire truth but he held his tongue. What was about to happen was inevitable; all he had to do was wait._

_Honey's face fell with the disappointing news and looked like he was about to cry. "But we have to see Kyou-chan, it's a matter of life and death," he exaggerated loudly, his face clouding over. _

_Horrified that he was about to cause THE Haninozuka any inconvenience (thereby dishonoring their family name), he shot a helpless look at Mori, clearly beside himself. _

"_Morinozuka-sama," he pleaded, "a little help please!"_

_Mori looked on stonily._

"_I think you're not telling us everything, Kanazawa-san," Honey accused coldly. "I don't like people who lie to me… lying is bad," he ended on an ominous note._

_Sato Kanazawa was alarmed to find that the formerly cheerful boy was transforming into Dark Honey before his eyes. The tales he'd heard about this particular young man's alter ego made his blood run cold. He turned to Mori and repeated his frantic request._

"_I'll share everything that I know!" he cried urgently, "Just do something, please!"_

"_You will tell us what you know," Mori stipulated tonelessly._

"_Hai, hai!!" he agreed fervently, willing to do anything to get back into their good graces._

"_Where is Kyou-chan?" Honey asked darkly._

"_Ootori-sama has been planning to go to a complex they have been developing. It's on an island off the coast of Hokkaido or thereabouts. He probably went there since he had the yacht prepared. That's all I kow," he swore in a remorseful tone._

_Honey eyed him steadily for maybe five minutes, deciding that he was telling the truth, he inclined his head; a gesture Mori readily understood._

_Looking at the cowering man before them, Mori could almost feel sorry for him. "You may leave Kanazawa-san," he said softly. "Arigatou gozaimasu for your help."_

_Stuttering another heart-felt apology, Kanazawa backed away and then quickly fled the room._

_Now that they were alone, Mori gave Honey a reproving glance and said, "Don't you think that was a bit over the top?" he rebuked gently._

"_Not at all," Honey retorted, beaming brightly and reverting back to his normal loli-shota self. _

"_Now we have an idea where Kyou-chan is," clapping his hands happily. He paused to consider the situation, "But it'll take hours for us to scour the seas for that island… what we need is an aerial view."_

_Somewhere, a light bulb popped._

"_That's it!" Honey yelled animatedly. _

"_Hai," Mori agreed. "Let's find Tamaki."_

* * *

"Aaaah…" the Hitachiin brothers murmured, "so that's how you did it." They looked at the twosome admiringly. It was a mystery, but so deep… their senpai's were more complex than they let on.

"And don't forget about my help," Tamaki interjected, posturing and preening for effect. "If not for my brilliant mind, we wouldn't have found the island so quickly."

Hikaru rolled his eyes and muttered, "What are you yammering about tono? It's not like you did _**anything**_." The emphasis on 'anything' rang out clear as a bell.

"You just tagged along tono, that's nothing to be proud of," Kaoru blithely stated. "Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai did all the actual work."

Tamaki managed to look both shocked and mortally offended in one go, and sputtered "How cruel!" he cried angrily. "I'll have you know that without my amazing resourcefulness…"

Hikaru stuck a tongue out at their blathering King.

* * *

In the midst of the chaos, Honey had quietly slipped away and was currently in the ocean park's coffee shop. He was concentrating on a most important decision, whether he would have the manta ray Popsicle, or the octopus one. Maybe he should have both, as a reward for working so hard. He smacked his lips in anticipation.

"Mitsukuni," a voice sounded above him.

Honey's shoulders slumped. Drat, he'd been found out. He looked up at his cousin and sighed, "I know, I know. We have matters to discuss," he mumbled dejectedly.

"Hai."

Honey glanced longingly at the jewel-colored icy delights, and regretfully bid them goodbye.

"Mitsukuni," Mori repeated.

"Hai, Takashi?" Honey glumly asked.

"You may have one."

* * *

It was obvious that the three hadn't even missed them. They were as usual, quarreling amongst themselves and hurling insults at each other.

It was giving him a headache.

"Tamaki," Mori said staring at the blonde junior, who instantly stopped moving when he heard his voice.

He swung his gaze on the twins next, "Hikaru, Kaoru." Mori intoned.

Honey was eating his octopus Popsicle and watching the proceedings in rapt concentration.

The twins halted their actions.

Hikaru visibly swallowed.

Blessed peace.

Satisfied that he had successfully captured everyone's attention, Mori cleared his throat. "Ahem, Tamaki."

Tamaki meekly lifted his head towards the voice, "Hai, Mori-senpai?" he replied, unusually subdued.

"We would like to hear your story," the taciturn host requested somberly.

"Hai, tono," Hikaru reinforced, throwing a heavy arm across Tamaki's shoulders. "We haven't heard your side of things. After raving about your smooth moves and flawless skills, you have to explain to us how you were able to discover the coordinates of the island."

Kaoru wrapped an arm around his waist and sidled closer, "Tono, Hikaru is right. We're dying to hear how you managed to outwit our pet oni," he ended with a sly reference to the errant and absent host.

Mollified by their seemingly sincere words, Tamaki opened his mouth to relate his story, only to have him close it in frustration; as the memory of _what had actually happened_ came to mind.

Looking at their expectant faces, Tamkaki finally understood what it meant to be caught between a rock and a hard place.

Tamaki cringed, turning red as a tomato. So caught up in his thoughts, he failed to notice Hikaru's close scrutiny.

He would never willingly admit it, not even under pain of duress, or even under threat of death that his way of ferreting out the truth had been the least creative among them all. And he would rather die than confess that he had stumbled upon the information through pure dumb luck.

"Tama-chan?" Honey prodded, enthusiastically taking a huge bite of his frozen treat.

He hurriedly wracked his brain for a suitable explanation, one they would be willing to accept. Tamaki immediately discarded the idea of spinning some tall tale since the twins would probably recognize it for what it was, and shoot it down.

Tamaki sighed drearily. There was no getting around it. He would have to expose the awful and bitter reality, baring his poor and traumatized self to the vicious barbs of ridicule the twins would surely inflict upon him.

Finding no other solution, Tamaki reluctantly began his narrative.

* * *

"_Please, please, please Renge-chan!" he implored wretchedly, ready to prostrate himself before her if needed. "You have to help me! I have no one else to turn to!"_

_Renge stabbed a critical finger at his chest, "Ohohohohohohohohoho! No good! No good Tamaki-sama! If you intend to play Kyouya-sama's game, you have to do better than this," she chortled as only a villainess can. _

"_It's impossible to outsmart Kyouya-sama, why don't you just give up?" _

_Tamaki grabbed at her skirt, hands clenching convulsively in its billowy folds. He slammed his fists against the floor and let out a dreadful wail, "Giving up is out of the question! I'm not about to leave my precious Haruhi in the hands of that dark-haired devil." _

_He frowned despondently. "That monster is capable of anything!" he reiterated in a near howl, "Anything, I tell you!" _

_Eying the dejected blonde at her feet, Renge gave an impatient tug to dislodge her clothing from Tamaki's grasp. There was nothing she could do for him. She should probably send him away…_

_The clock was ticking and he was nowhere any nearer to finding Haruhi. The fact that he was begging Renge-chan for help was proof of his desperation. Tamaki wondered if the twins had any luck… He mentally slapped himself for that ill-omened thought. Just thinking about asking the twins for assistance made his skin crawl. _

"_Suou-kun," an eerie voice whispered in his left ear._

_Tamaki felt his hackles rise at the unnatural tone. He slowly turned his face to the side and…_

"_Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!" he screamed, as his nose brushed against the softness of the Beelzenef plushie Nekozawa-senpai carried around with him._

_Nekozawa Umehito looked at the milk-faced underclassman, fingering his right ear with an aggrieved air. That girlish shriek of his had surely cost him an eardrum._

"_Ne… Nekozawa-senpai," he spluttered nervously. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Ohohohohohohohoho!" Renge's deranged laughter reverberated in the confines of the room. "Umehito-sama is helping me with my latest cosplay."_

"_I'm going to be Morganna, a dark priestess of Avalon, and Umehito-sama has kindly agreed to play the part of my prince-consort." _

_Tamaki stared at the both of them uncomprehendingly. _

"_Suou-kun…" the creepy voice was at his ear again._

_Nani? When did this whack job get here?_

"_I happened to overhear your discussion, and I believe I can help you."_

"_Er, that's nice of you but I don't see how you possibly can." Tamaki answered politely, good manners outweighing his obvious fright._

"_You underestimate the power of the dark arts," Nekozawa remonstrated dully. He held up the cat doll and waved it gracefully in front of Tamaki._

"_Beelzenef is omniscient, he sees all things and knows all things," he chanted monotonously._

_Tamaki gulped, unable to take his eyes away from the swaying doll. _

"_Believe in Beelzenef… the all-powerful Beelzenef… believe…" Nekozawa droned hypnotically._

_Tamaki found himself lurching forward, mumbling, "believe… Beelzenef… must believe in Beelzenef…"_

_Fortunately for him, he tripped on a hard object that had fallen on the floor— which sent him crashing into the wall. _

_A bit dazed but thankfully unharmed, he picked up the thing that had unknowingly shaken him out of his trance._

_It was another Beelzenef doll, a wooden one this time. He grimaced and dropped it on the floor as if it had burned him. Tamaki stood up and dusted himself off. It was time to escape this nuthouse._

_The black-robed figure was advancing on him, with Renge and Beelzenef doggedly in pursuit._

_Tamaki started walking backward, his eyes darting around the room in search of the exit. _

_Ah, there it is._

"_Well," he babbled inanely, "It's been fun but I really must be going." _

_They were almost upon him._

"_Arigatou for your time! Let's get together soon," he shouted, making a mad dash for the doorway._

* * *

"It was absolutely horrifying," he whispered, his eyes misty with remembered terror.

"It's not funny, Hikaru!" Tamaki barked at the squirming redhead acidly.

"It was a most traumatic experience and I'm probably scarred for life!" Tamaki moaned pitifully.

Hikaru was rolling around the floor, clutching his sides and laughing his head off. Kaoru was clinging to a thick pillar, shaking with silent mirth— tears streaming down his cheeks.

Even Mori cracked a smile.

Honey patted Tamaki on the back consolingly. "It is funny Tama-chan, but that's okay. Something good came out of it right? We found the island and we're one step closer to finding Haru-chan."

Finally controlling their reckless hilarity, the twins joined the circle again.

"Yo tono, so what happened next?" Hikaru bit down on his tongue as he felt another round of snickers tickling his throat. He could practically hear them begging to be set loose.

"Yeah, that still doesn't explain how you found this," Kaoru gestured expansively.

Tamaki blinked. Darn it. Maybe he could pretend he hadn't heard them.

"That's irrelevant at this point. What's important is that we figure out where Kyouya will take Haruhi next," he stated brusquely.

"Hai, I agree with Tama-chan," Honey chimed in.

Yes. Mission accomplished. That aside, he continued. "Does anyone have any ideas?" Tamaki asked, talking to nobody in particular.

Without warning, Hikaru's lazy mood vanished and in its place, a furious tempest was about to break free.

"Ano, we know where they're headed tono," Kaoru volunteered hesitantly. He looked at Hikaru, who was studiously avoiding his gaze.

"Hikaru?"

His nails were biting into his palm at the force he was exerting to keep himself from smashing his fists into anything and everything that crossed his path. He had been sufficiently entertained for the past few minutes but the data he had seen was very much on his mind. Hikaru had merely set it aside for a bit, but now that was consciously thinking about it, he found that his rage was relatively close to boiling point. And God help anyone who was foolish enough to annoy him today.

"Yo Hikaru!" Kaoru snapped his fingers in front of his brother's face.

"Nani?"

"Mori-senpai was asking about the file we read," Kaouru stated dryly.

Hikaru's eyes amber eyes gleamed coldly in the sunlight. "I can barely stomach thinking about those words Kao," he told his twin honestly.

"You tell them, please. I may end up chucking that hateful thing in the shark tank, out of sheer spite."

"I don't think I can either Hikaru." Kaouru acknowledged to himself that it was truly a revolting sight. "They should probably just read it for themselves."

Hikaru grunted his assent.

He sat down and turned his laptop on. Tamaki, Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai crowded around him. Hikaru refused to come nearer. Kaoru couldn't blame him; the words were burned into his own eyes too, after all.

"You guys better gird your loins," Kaoru cautioned. "It's not a pretty sight."

Murmurs of 'hai' and 'of course' were buffeted all around.

This was the moment of truth. Kaoru double clicked on the misbegotten file and held his breath.

There it was, in big black bold letters.

**Operation: Seduce Fujioka Haruhi (a.k.a Project O.S.F.H)**

**Ootori Kyouya**

"Uuuwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

And the game just went up another level Kaoru thought bleakly, as the Host King's high-pitched screech drowned out the rest of the group's outraged reactions.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**See? There was a reason why Kanazawa-san tattled on Kyouya! Hahahaha! I just had to include "Dark Honey" somewhere in this fic. :D Besides, cuteness with a secret edge is so much more interesting than plain fluff, don't 'ya think? :P**_

_**Thanks to all those who tried to guess what the mysterious acronym stood for, and I do hope you're happy to finally find out what it means! LOL!**_

_**  
Reviews are love, so please... review review review! It gets me fired up for the next chappies! Hehe!**_

_**So that's it for now. :)**_

_**Oooh... I'll be posting a short flashback on the two things that I'm sure a lot of you are wondering about. :D**_

_**Read and let me know what you think. If you liked the explanation, or if not, why. **_

_**Thanks again! Until next time!**_

XXXXX

_**Sama - (suffix) Formal version of "san." Respectful address towards important persons or those with higher rank  
**_

_**Chan - (suffix) - Informal version of "san." Used to address young children or a term of endearment for family, friends or anyone you are close to. May also be used as a "pet name" (as is the case in this story)  
**_

_**Gomen (nasai) - Sorry/ I'm sorry**_

_**Hai - Yes**_

_**Ano - "Um" Expression of uncertainty**_

_**Tono - Lord/ My Lord**_

_**Senpai - respectful title for an upperclassman/ senior  
**_

_**Usa-chan - Rabbit/ Bunny (Honey's stuffed bunny to be exact)  
**_

_**Arigatou (gozaimasu) - Thank you/ Thank you very much  
**_

_**Ja/ ja ne - Goodbye/ See you later**_

_**N**_**_ani - What_**

_**Oni**_**_ - Demon_**


	11. Chapter 10 A

**_Rewind: Much earlier that day…_**

_Kyouya had just finished relaying his instructions and was programming his phone when he heard the discreet cough of his most trusted bodyguard/ driver._

_He glanced upward coolly and said, "I trust everything is in order Tachibana?"_

"_Hai, Ootori-sama," he answered deferentially._

"_Good," he replied calmly. "I've anticipated all their movements and have charted out the necessary steps to counter them."_

_Kyouya's glasses flashed in the morning sun. It had taken him over three months to perfect his plan and it was flawless. Nothing would happen today that he hadn't already calculated in advance._

_Yes, even down to the last cough or smallest hiccup. Kyouya was that thorough._

_He was an Ootori after all._

"_What do I tell Kanazawa-san, Ootori-sama?"_

_He shook his head impatiently. "I've already spoken with him and let slip out just enough info to suit my purpose." _

_Kyouya shot his driver an unexpected grin. "I'm certain they'll figure out the clues I've left behind. The twins are exceptionally ingenious and resourceful. In their own way, so are Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai."_

_Tachibana coughed again. _

_Kyouya frowned at him questioningly, had he overlooked something?_

"_What about Suou-sama?" he inquired politely._

_Kyouya paused. He was definitely a problem. He was they type of person who would probably drown in a kiddie pool, in spite of floaters and all._

_He let out a weary sigh. "I agree, that one is hopeless." _

_Kyouya gazed irritably out the window and murmured, "If that idiot asks you for help, give it to him."_

_Almost as an afterthought he added, "Just make sure we're well on our way to the next point before you disclose any information. I don't want to have to deal with his idiocy until tomorrow."_

"_Understood, Ootori-sama." He pushed a button and the glass partition started to rise up._

"_Ah, Tachibana. I forgot. You can drop me off at the next corner." Kyouya calmly looked at his watch and smiled._

"_Haruhi should be passing that way in the next ten minutes…"_

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**If anyone is omniscient in this story, it's definitely not Belzenef! :P** _

**_Kyouya is... amazing as always, hahahaha! _**

**_Well, I hope you guys enjoyed!_**

**XXXXX**

_**Sama - (suffix) Formal version of "san." Respectful address towards important persons or those with higher rank  
**_

**_Hai - Yes_**

**_Arigatou (gozaimasu) - Thank you/ Thank you very much_**


	12. Chapter 10 B

**_Fast forward: Later that afternoon…_**

_Tamaki was moodily kicking a can he found littering the street. In his haste to get as far away as possible from Renge-chan and Nekozawa-senpai, he ran non-stop for more than half an hour before he realized that he had moved farther along than he had planned._

_To make matters worse, he didn't have his cell phone on him. It must have slipped out when I fell, he thought gloomily. _

_Which was why he was currently walking down the road, plodding his way towards the Suou Estate. Tamaki wasn't worried about getting mugged or anything, he was in the ritziest part of Tokyo. And it was highly doubtful that any thug would have the cheek to wander around this place knowing the level of protection that was employed to secure it._

_He was worried about Haruhi. He was worried that time was passing much too swiftly for comfort, and he still had no idea where to start looking for her. If this kept up, he'd be forced to throw his lot in with Hikaru and Kaoru._

_No doubt those two will make me grovel first, he thought sourly._

_A gleaming Rolls Royce slowed down as it passed him, and the driver's window was rolled down._

"_Konnichiwa, Suou-sama," a voice hailed out._

_Tamaki shielded his eyes and gazed into the homely face of Kyouya's driver._

"_Konnichiwa Tachibana! What are you doing here?" Tamaki asked cheerfully._

"_Ah, I was going to ask you that question Suou-sama. Why are you walking?"_

"_Oh that, I got separated from my car and I seem to have lost my cell phone," he answered sheepishly._

"_If Suou-sama will allow it, I will take you home," Tachibana stated deliberately._

_Tamaki ran a restless hand through his hair, "That would be great."_

"_Doo itashimashite."_

_He leaned back against the cool leather seats and made himself comfortable. Tamaki idly picked up a magazine and absently asked, "By the way Tachibana, why aren't you with Kyouya? Where is he anyway?"_

"_Ootori-sama has gone to Hokkaido, to check on one of the properties they've recently developed," he answered briefly, "It's a small island southwest of the mainland— they're constructing an Oceanarium."_

"_Hmmnn… I see," was Tamaki's disinterested response._

_A split-second later, the implication of what he just learned sank in. Tamaki almost kissed the older man in profound gratitude._

"_We've arrived Suou-sama," he announced._

"_Hai, arigatou Tachibana!" He said as he clambered out the car. "Ja!"_

* * *

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"_Moshi moshi," Kyouya's crisp tone flowed smoothly over the line._

"_The late bird has finally eaten the worm," was his cryptic reply._

_Kyouya's mouth stretched out in a huge smirk. Phase two was about to begin. "Arigatou Tachibana, that will be all."_

"_Hai."_

_Kyouya snapped the phone shut._

"_Ano, what are you smirking about Kyouya-senpai?"_

"_Nothing Haruhi, nothing at all," he responded, a small secretive smile shining in his eyes._

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Thanks to DevilHeart13 who reminded me to post my author's note! I was in a hurry when I posted these chapters yesterday so I didn't have time to add the translations. Gomen nasai!**_

**_Anyway, Tamaki is probably as much of an enigma as Kyouya sometimes. :D Hahaha! _**

**XXXXX**

_**Sama - (suffix) Formal version of "san." Respectful address towards important persons or those with higher rank  
**_

_**Konnichiwa - (Hello) Good afternoon**_

_**Doo ishatimashite - You're welcome**_

_**Ano - "Um" Expression of uncertainty**_

_**Arigatou - Thank you**_

_**Senpai - respectful title for an upperclassman/ senior  
**_

_**Moshi moshi - Hello (answering the phone)  
**_

_**Arigatou (gozaimasu) - Thank you/ Thank you very much  
**_

_**Ja/ ja ne - Goodbye/ See you later  
**_


	13. Chapter 11

Haruhi was in hell.

A rather sweet-smelling one, but a hell nonetheless.

She looked at Kyouya with pleading and panicked eyes.

He, on the other hand stared right back at her, his face devoid of all expression. In fact, Kyouya was gazing at her with an almost clinical-like detachment that Haruhi found both unnerving and upsetting.

"Kyou-ya!" she wailed plaintively, "This is preposterous!"

Haruhi glared irately at the two young women who had latched themselves firmly onto her arms. No matter how hard she tried to shake them off, they remained glued to her limbs.

Like leeches she thought waspishly.

"Ootori-sama," the taller of the two spoke up, "which among the packages have you chosen for Fujioka-san?"

Kyouya remained unaffected by the murderous glances the petite host was leveling in his direction. The stubborn set of her of her chin and the defiant tilt of her head said it all. She was going to be difficult all the way.

Which was fine by him. He was always up for a challenge anyway.

"Tanaka-san, I believe that…" His eyes swiftly perused the contents of the folder he was looking at, "Fujioka-san will have the Luxuriant Lily Package," Kyouya ended firmly.

Both girls nodded their heads in agreement.

"Excellent choice Ootori-sama," the shorter of the two murmured in approval. "I believe that the treatments will be most beneficial in helping soothe Fujioka-san's problematic disposition."

Rio Tanaka gave a small cough to cover up the fit of giggles that threatened to burst forth at the rather accurate description of the brown-haired beauty who was thrashing about frantically in their grip.

Belatedly she realized they had forgotten something. The presence of the youngest Ootori always managed to unsettle her.

"What about you, Ootori-sama?" Rio asked politely. "Have you decided how we can be of service to you today?"

Kyouya pushed wire-rimmed spectacles up his nose with a slim forefinger and replied with the barest trace of a smile, "I'll be fine ladies, go ahead and attend to Haruhi. I'll ring one of the other aides should I need anything."

He stepped closer to Haruhi and lifted her face upward so he could look into her eyes. Aaahh… as he had guessed, the magnificent darkness was blazing with ambivalence.

Haruhi's chest was heaving with the force of her ire but she refused to give Kyouya the satisfaction of another undignified outburst.

Kyouya enjoyed the sight of Haruhi trying to rein in her temper for a few more seconds before finally straightening up.

"Now, be a good girl Haruhi," he requested in a pleasant voice. "Give this experience your full attention as I will be expecting your comments and suggestions later on."

Haruhi gritted her teeth at the casually issued order. Conceited bastard. His arrogance was beyond belief she thought heatedly.

Kyouya turned to give final instructions. "You may run along ladies," he shot them a conspiratorial glance and continued, "Do your best girls. I'm counting on you to rid Haruhi of her surly nature."

This elicited an outraged gasp from the abovementioned person, which Kyouya easily dismissed.

Rio looked at meaningfully at her companion and they both glanced down at their reluctant charge (who was glowering ferociously behind the Ootori third son's broad back), and nodded at each other.

"Hai Ootori-sama," Rio stated respectfully.

"Leave it to us," they both murmured while bowing low.

"Arigatou," Kyouya returned graciously. "Now if you'll excuse me…" he turned away to take a call.

Haruhi allowed herself to be dragged away by her senpai's evil henchmen. Despite her annoyance, her mouth curved slightly at the ridiculous idea. She looked at her captors and noted their slight forms. Looks can be deceiving though, she thought wryly. While it was true they seemed fragile in appearance, their hold on her arms were like bands of finely wrought steel.

Haruhi sighed as they passed by a huge picture window. The sun which had been blazing brightly only a few hours earlier was already taking on a crimson hue. The day was drawing to a close and she still hadn't found a way to escape from the low blood pressure demon lord's presence. Her dejected huff echoed in the narrow hall.

"Fujioka-san," a soft voice broke though her dismal self-pity. "This way please."

She mechanically started moving forward. As she was about to step through the portal, Kyouya's low drawl reached her ears.

"_Ah Ranka-san, it's been awhile. To what do I owe this pleasure?" _

Haruhi froze in place as her shocked brain tried to process the implication of those dreadful words.

Ranka-san? Kyouya was speaking with her father?

"_I see… Of course, whatever I can do to be of assistance."_

Haruhi began prying unwanted fingers off her person as she strained to hear more of the ongoing conversation. Nothing good ever came out of any dealings between those two, and she was sure to end up with the short end of the stick as usual.

"_It's not an imposition at all. Please don't worry about it Ranka-san, I'll take care of Haruhi."_

Take… care… of… Haruhi? She paled at that frightening vision. Just what kind of a favor did her father ask this time? She began struggling against the hands that bound her in earnest.

"Kyouya!" she shouted desperately, as she felt herself being firmly pulled farther away.

This was not happening. She needed to know what he meant by 'I'll take care of Haruhi' or she was going to explode.

Haruhi floundered helplessly as she was pushed through a wide doorway. The last thing she saw was the devilish and self-satisfied smirk that flitted across Kyouya's face before the heavy doors started to close.

"KYOU-YA!!"

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Hi everyone! After the long wait, chapter 11 is finally up! It's a bit short so sorry for that, I've been really swamped with work. :(**_

_**Anyway, I'll make it up in the next chapters, promise!**_

_**In the meantime, hope you enjoy!**_

xxxxx

_**Sama - (suffix) Formal version of "san." Respectful address towards important persons or those with higher rank**_

_**San - (suffix) Informal version of "sama."**_

_**Hai - Yes**_

_**Arigatou - Thank You**_


	14. Chapter 12

"Please, Fujioka-san," Rio insisted through pursed lips, "you must remove your clothing."

Haruhi clasped her blouse to her chest in a death grip and retorted indignantly, "There's no way I'm taking off anything." She glared hotly at the two demented attendants Kyouya had sent her off with.

"You hear me? I'm not removing a single stitch!"

Rio exchanged a sly look with her partner who inclined her head in acknowledgement.

Pretending to let go of the fabric she held, Rio demurred softly. "Okay then Fujioka-san, if that is what you wish."

She motioned her partner away with a wave of her hand. "Mika, you must inform Ootori-sama that we failed to carry out our assigned task," she sighed for effect and was pleased to see the indecision on Haruhi's gamine face.

She continued her dramatization, "Oh whatever shall we do? There's no telling how Ootori-sama will react…" Rio peeked at Haruhi from the corner of her eyes.

"Oh stuff it," Haruhi muttered irritably. "Think I don't know what you're doing Rio-san? I'm not normally this easy to manipulate."

Haruhi sighed in misery, "But I also know how underhanded that dark-haired devil can be; so fine," she harrumphed. She held out her arms unenthusiastically and closed her eyes.

"Do what you have to," Haruhi said listlessly.

They didn't need to be told twice. Rio and Mika hurriedly divested Haruhi of her garments. When she was down to her underwear, they wrapped her in a fluffy towel and ushered her forward.

"You may open your eyes now, Fujioka-san," they murmured.

"We'll leave you to take your bath in peace. I'll come and get you after thirty minutes," Rio went on with a warm smile, "so please, enjoy your soak."

Haruhi bowed her head. "Arigatou."

They slipped out quietly, and soundlessly slid the wooden doors shut.

Haruhi stared at the gleaming porcelain tub before her. Petals floated softly on the water's still surface and a fine mist curled gently upward. She allowed the towel to fall in a soft heap on the floor. Her undies soon followed. Haruhi gingerly dipped a slender foot into the steaming liquid and found that it was the perfect temperature.

Tossing the last of her reluctance aside, Haruhi stepped into the water and slid into its welcoming embrace. She made herself comfortable in the roomy tub, dislodging more than a few flowers as she moved about languidly. She sank deeper until the gentle waves lapped at her shoulders and chin.

Haruhi sighed and let her head fall back against the bath tub's golden rim. The heat seeping into her bones melted the last of her tension. She closed her eyes again, and inhaled deeply. The fragrant scent of lilies wafted caressingly around her like a golden halo, intoxicating her senses.

She could almost forgive Kyouya for the harrowing day he'd put her through. The need to discover what it was he had spoken to her father about almost disappeared too. Almost being the operative word.

Haruhi tried to hold on to her anger but the environment she was currently cocooned in made it difficult to latch on to any form of negative vibes. The water was just so delicious she couldn't help but allow it to calm her spirit.

Short of killing her, there was nothing that he could possibly do that he hadn't already done Haruhi thought pragmatically. It was useless to speculate on whatever sinister plans he had in store for her. Besides, no matter how heinous a scenario she dreamed up, she was pretty darned sure the reality of Kyouya's evil genius would win hands down

So for once in her life, Haruhi decided to just sit back and relax. She'd deal with her problems later.

Haruhi's heavy sigh scattered the petals that had gathered near her throat and neck. Kyouya really was an enigma. Just when she thought she finally figured him out, he pulled something so totally unexpected that she'd be forced to revise her opinion of him all over again.

Today was one such example.

It was still a mystery to her why he'd made such a fuss about bringing her around with him like he did.

Haruhi idly trailed a hand through the calm water, tiny ripples followed in her finger's wake. Kyouya's actions today ran contrary to his usual merit-chasing self. She knew he could easily hire a team of researchers to do what he was asking of her— and they would accomplish all that he required with a greater deal of professionalism and efficiency, which was why this sudden desire for her opinion didn't fool her one bit.

After all, it wasn't as if she'd contributed much to his research. However, even if he'd been such a pain in the ass, Haruhi had to admit that it was great fun.

The trip to the Oceanarium had left her captivated. Just remembering the sleek and gliding beauty of the dolphins and that majestic manta ray she'd seen earlier was enough to make her breath hitch.

Not to mention, that unspeakable moment inside the Limo. Okaa-san in heaven, what was that about? That almost-kiss had plagued her mind ever since they stepped out of the car.

Haruhi had always felt vaguely indifferent towards all of them— not really understanding why the fangirls literally swooned when any of them smiled… (Well, maybe except Honey-senpai— he was in a league of his own, being so adorable and all that jazz.)

But seriously, it was ridiculous the way they had all the girls at school eating from the palm of their hands.

Haruhi's brows slashed downwards as she thought of the profits the club was raking in from marketing Kyouya's creepy little settings.

Her thoughts going back to the black-eyed (and equally black-souled evil lord), she found herself pensive once more. Haruhi was somewhat glad that Kyouya had forced this time-out upon her. It gave her a chance to try and sift through the feelings that were running rampant inside her.

Among all the hosts, the ones most obvious in their affection for her had always been the twins and Tamaki-senpai. Honey and Mori-senpai treated her like a younger sister (or brother as was the case in the Host Club) so she had never really analyzed how they felt about her.

Kyouya was different.

He was consistently the person least interested in her. In fact, to this point, she believed that the only times Kyouya knew she was alive was when she did something that further increased her financial obligations.

But now that she thought about it, Haruhi realized that Kyouya always took a fiendish delight in heaping mountains upon mountains of debt to her already sorry pile.

"Just what is your game, Shadow King?" Haruhi wondered aloud.

A tranquil silence was her only answer. "Not that I was expecting one," she quipped to herself dryly.

Maybe she should get out of the tub, she mused. Was it possible that the heat had pickled her brain or something? That would certainly explain her wild imaginings.

A discreet knock sounded on the door.

Haruhi was startled out of her fanciful contemplation. "I'll be done in a bit," she called out.

"I'll step inside to bring you your robe Fujioka-san," was Rio's muffled reply.

"Oh, okay," Haruhi assented.

The sliding doors moved gracefully to the side and Rio came in bearing a beautiful midnight blue kimono. It had patterns of white calla lilies gilded in burnished gold. Rio carefully smoothed it onto the sofa across the massive tub.

"This is for you Fujioka-san, a gift from Ootori-sama."

From her vantage-point, she could tell that the yukata was made of the finest silk. It probably cost a fortune. Haruhi blanched. If she ruined that thing, she'd never be free of Kyouya (this made her shudder) and the Host Club. She eyed the resplendent robe with regret.

"Rio-san, kindly tell Kyouya that while I appreciate the sentiment, it is not necessary. Any old dressing gown will serve just as well."

Haruhi smiled at the elder girl ruefully, "It would be a shame to ruin such a lovely garment."

Rio surprised her by grinning broadly. "Ootori-sama mentioned you would probably say something like that so he told me to tell you," she stuck her chin out in parody.

"If you refuse to accept my gift, I have instructed both Tanaka-san and Hagumi-san to drag you to the Calla room in all your naked glory," she repeated word for word.

Haruhi stared at her in abject horror and sputtered, "He can't possibly mean that!"

"Oh but he does. Those were his words Fujioka-san, in verbatim." Rio answered cheerfully.

"B..bb… but that's blackmail!" Haruhi blustered in denial.

Rio fell into a graceful squat before the tub and shoved her protest aside, "Shush. Now be a dear and accept Ootori-sama's gift graciously," she scolded lightly.

"You'll find a clean towel on your right as well as bedroom slippers."

Haruhi slumped deeper into the by then lukewarm water and turned her face away from the attendant.

Rio stood up in a fluid motion and said, "When you're done dressing up, please exit through the door to your left. We'll be waiting outside to escort you to the Calla room."

Haruhi bit back a bitter retort; this wasn't Rio-san's fault. She was only obeying the orders of that deranged pervert.

Hai, she thought nastily. She never figured that beneath that polished and elegant veneer, Kyouya Ootori was nothing but a big fat pervert.

Haruhi shot up in anger, splashing water heedlessly across the floor. She'd be damned if she stayed here and cowered in fear like some pasty-faced mouse. That two-faced bastard was going to get a piece of her mind.

She roughly toweled herself dry, hurling all sorts of threats and imprecations at Kyouya's head while she did so. If that wretched Ootori wanted to pick a fight, he had messed around with the wrong girl.

Haruhi tightened the narrow sash around her waist and went over her reflection in the mirror with a critical eye. Fiery brown eyes stared back at her.

Satisfied with what she saw, Haruhi ran a cool hand over her face and all the way through her slickly gleaming hair.

She was ready to do battle.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**As promised, I updated quickly to make up for last week's drought. :P **_

_**Anyway, I haven't revealed Kyouya's and Ranka's conversation because, well, just 'cause. :D So you have to be patient and wait just a little bit longer. :)**_

_**This chappie is all Haruhi! We've gotten inside almost everyone else's head but only had snippets of her thoughts. So I hope you enjoyed this brief glimpse into our favorite host-girl's mind. :D**_

_**Thanks again for the great reviews! I really appreciate all the comments and suggestions you've been throwing my way. :) It's helped me a lot in fine-tuning the stuff I've written down so far. So thanks, SUPER!**_

xxxxx

_**Sama - (suffix) Formal version of "san." Respectful address towards important persons or those with higher rank**_

_**San - (suffix) Informal version of "sama."**_

_**Okaa-san - Mother**_

_**Arigatou - Thank You**_

_**Hai - Yes**_

_**Yukata - Japanese kimono  
**_

_**Obi - A broad sash worn with a Japanese kimono**_


	15. Chapter 13

Kyouya shut his phone with a distinctive click. That had been most… interesting.

For the first time that day, he was glad he had followed his instincts and had not turned his cell phone off. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to take that delightful call.

Another golden opportunity to bedevil his (yes, he had already come to think of her as his) lovely Haruhi had fallen into his lap.

He glanced at the ornate clock that graced the chamber's right-most wall; it was already a quarter past four. Mentally calculating the time that had elapsed since they left Hokkaido, he concluded that they would have at least another two to three hours before the others arrived at their present location. If at all, Kyouya thought snickering.

Preparations would have to be made, of course. This unexpected gift was exactly that, totally unexpected. He was, however, nothing if not flexible.

Kyouya brought out his trusty mobile once more and sent a text message to Tachibana. He had utmost faith that his servant would carry out his orders perfectly, down to the last detail.

That settled, Kyouya turned his attention back to the present. He was just about to finish getting ready when the door opened with a rush.

He glanced up unperturbed, and merely raised a dark brow. "Yes, Tanaka-san?"

Rio flushed red with embarrassment as she noticed the wide expanse of her employer's smooth and muscled chest, which was exposed by the half-donned robe. She hurriedly cast her eyes downward and mumbled, "Ah gomen nasai Ootori-sama, I should have knocked first."

Kyouya waved the apology aside and continued to shrug into his yukata. "What is it Tanaka-san? I assume that you're here to tell me something, given that sudden entrance," he drawled wryly.

Her horrified gaze flew up to meet his steady one. "Aiieee!" Rio squeaked, a hand flying to cover her mouth.

Kyouya waited patiently for the girl to retrieve her wandering wits.

"Fujioka-san is ready, Ootori-sama," Rio managed to choke out in a strangled voice.

"I see," was his calm reply, ignoring her flustered reaction. "Very good, you may proceed as planned."

He picked up his discarded clothing and handed it over to her. "I'm done as well, shall we?" Kyouya asked politely.

"Hai Ootori-sama," Rio affirmed respectfully, finally recovering her wayward senses. "I'll take you there now."

* * *

Haruhi marched angrily beside Mika-san. Outside, her face was a mask of cool composure but inwardly, she was seething.

Ootori Kyouya was truly a rotten bastard. Haruhi was dying to tell him to his face just how horrid she thought he was.

"We've arrived, Fujioka-san."

The pleasantly modulated tone of her companion broke through Haruhi's murderous thoughts.

Haruhi blinked, then focused her eyes on the sight before her. It was possibly the most beautiful piece of wood she had ever seen in her entire life.

Huge Calla lilies were carved into the heavy panels in startling detail. Each trumpet-like petal was outlined with flecks of silver haze. Delicate gold leaf cut across dark borders and ran parallel to the overflowing mass of flowers that decorated the oaken door.

Mika-san smiled at her awestruck reaction. "Quite startling isn't it?" she breathed softly.

"Hai," Haruhi replied just as softly.

"When I first started working here, I'd spend my free time staring at this. I don't know why but I feel soothed whenever I look at it, something about the clean lines, I suppose," Mika laughed at her whimsical thoughts.

"And to think it's just a door," she ended, not able to keep the wonder from her voice entirely.

Haruhi nodded absently, still studying the graceful arc of the twining lilies.

"Anyway, it's rumored that Ootori-sama personally chose the fixtures and fittings for this, and was very particular about the detailing. The other suites are equally beautiful, don't get me wrong. But personally, the Calla room is my favorite— " Mika paused mid-sentence, "It feels more magical and real at the same time."

Magical? Kyouya? Haruhi shook her head in disbelief. The low blood pressure demon lord was not the sentimental type. Although, during the trip to Hokkaido… she had seen something flash within those onyx eyes that had briefly disconcerted her.

Awakened from the dream-like state the intricate patterns had induced, Haruhi was rudely reminded of the reason she was here in the first place.

Beautiful or not, she had not asked for this, nor had she even wanted any part in it. Kyouya had arrogantly forced it all upon her.

Haruhi would not allow herself to be lulled into a false sense of complacency by the decadent grandeur before her.

It was imperative that she had full command of all her wits when she finally dealt with the Shadow King.

"Anyway, please enter Fujioka-san. I do hope that this will help you relax. You still seem a bit tense," Mika remarked, eyeing her warily.

Aahhh… if you only knew, Haruhi thought dryly. She gave Mika a toothy grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Arigatou for your concern Mika-san, I'm sure I will enjoy this…"

Oh yes, she would definitely relish blasting Kyouya to kingdom come for all she was worth.

Mentally preparing herself, she stepped into the darkened chamber, ready to launch into verbal assault upon sight of her ebony-haired captor.

Eh?

There was no trace of him anywhere.

Haruhi's probing gaze searched each nook and cranny of the dimly lit room.

Nothing.

Her brow wrinkled in confusion. Kyouya's disappearance, or rather, non-appearance had effectively knocked the wind out of her sails.

She had once again, underestimated the magnitude of Kyouya's powers of darkness. Haruhi sighed drearily. A good soldier knew when to advance and when to back down. Graciously accepting defeat for the time being, she glanced about curiously.

The first thing that assailed her senses was the lingering scent of lilies that drifted alluringly within the enclosed space. The second thing that hit her was the softly flickering light of hundreds upon hundreds of candles strewn elegantly across the hardwood floor.

A warm glow cloaked the room in an aura of oriental mystique. Haruhi found herself unwittingly becoming enraptured by the seductive ambience.

She walked towards the monstrous four-poster poised at the center, its unwieldy bulk supported by a raised dais. A single path led to the bed, which evinced the same silver markings that had so entranced her earlier.

A cleverly designed moat surrounded the platform. Several candles floated in harmony with the water lilies, while golden Koi glided silently under the still water.

And this extravagance was supposed to suit a commoner's taste and budget, Haruhi thought disbelievingly.

"You have got to be kidding me," she muttered out loud.

So immersed in her thoughts, Haruhi didn't realize that she was no longer alone until a soft cough brought her out of her musings.

Haruhi looked up sharply, fully expecting to find Kyouya standing before her.

* * *

**_A/N:_**

**_Dun dun dun dun... cliffhangerness! :D_**

**_Anyway, I'm sorry if this chapter is shorter than the others. I promise that the next one will be longer! We're getting near the end folks, and I'm really glad you've stuck it out with me until now!_**

**_Again, your comments, thoughts and suggestions are more than welcome!_**

**_So please feel free to drop me a line any time. :P_**

**_That's it. :D_**

**_Ta ta for now!_**

_xxx_

**_Hai - Yes_**

**_Arigatou - Thank you_**

**_Gomen/ gomen nasai - I'm sorry_**


	16. Chapter 14

**_A/N:_**

**_Yay! Chapter 14 is up! :P As promised, this chapter is twice as long as the previous one. :)_**

**_Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this installment in this fic! :) I've included a little surprise somewhere in the middle, and I will definitely look forward to your reaction!_**

**_Enjoy and your thoughts and comments will be highly appreciated! ;)_**

* * *

"You're too tense, you should relax. Now, how do you find the pressure?"

"Aaahh, it's perfect."

"Tell me if I'm being too rough. I could slow down and be more gentle…"

"You aren't. In fact, I want it harder please."

"How much?"

"Harder. Much harder."

"Like this?"

"Oh God, yes! That feels good."

"I'm glad I please you."

"That, what you just did. Do it again."

"As you wish."

Kyouya groaned into the mattress as the warm and knowing hands of his personal masseuse massaged the kinks out of his back. Each flex and rolling motion of capable fingers worked magic upon his tension-riddled body.

"You must come more often Ootori-sama," Hakumei Genji scolded familiarly. "Your muscles are so knotted up it's a wonder you can still walk properly."

"Gomen, Hakumei-san," Kyouya murmured apologetically. "I've been busy with these projects Otou-san entrusted me with. I haven't even had time to rest and sleep, much less take a break like this."

The old man harrumphed in displeasure. "That wily devil, burdening you with such things. If you ask me, he's dangling the heir's seat in front of you much too casually!"

Genji ground out a particularly stubborn bump that had wormed itself deep into the tissue of Kyouya's shoulder blades, taking great delight in imagining that it was Ootori Yoshio beneath his thumb.

"And you… are behaving like a fresh-faced schoolboy! Allowing that _father," _Genji spat out sharply, "of yours to manipulate you in this manner."

Kyouya winced slightly as Genji's calloused palms pressed down on a sore spot.

He let the elder man rant for a few more seconds before finally interrupting, "I am well aware of Otou-san's intentions, Hakumei-san," Kyouya remarked coolly.

"Just as I am equally sure he knows that I too, have my own reasons for accepting this responsibility." He ended dismissively.

"Besides, I doubt he believes I am doing this out of the goodness of my heart," Kyouya drawled sardonically.

Carefully kneading fingers paused mid-stroke as the man poised above him pondered over his words. "Well, you have a point I suppose," Genji acceded sourly.

A soft chuckle escaped Kyouya's lips at the cantankerous tone. "More than one. Anyway, it's nothing to be concerned about. I know what I'm doing."

"Speaking of which," Genji said slyly, "I heard that you brought someone with you— and a girl at that. My my my…" he mused consideringly. "I do believe this is a first."

Kyouya merely grunted in response.

"Turn over," Genji commanded.

He rolled over and settled himself against the firm mattress. Kyouya found himself staring into laughing blue eyes.

Genji continued to apply relaxing strokes to Kyouya's shoulders. "So who is she?" he asked curiously.

Kyouya closed his eyes and summoned the image of Haruhi to mind, and in spite of himself, smiled. Fate definitely had a twisted sense of humor.

Kyouya's usually guarded gaze lowered for a fraction of a second, allowing the former Ootori retainer a glimpse into raw and aching honesty. Kyouya looked into Genji's eyes and spoke the words the old man never thought he'd ever hear.

"She is my choice."

* * *

The deafening sound of the helicopter's engine receded into the distance as the boys watched it move farther and farther away. The harsh glare of the mid-day sun pounded down unrelentingly, forcing the dazed quintet to dash madly into the waiting limousine parked at the edge of the tarmac.

They piled into it haphazardly, elbows and knees sticking out in odd angles. They were jostled about as the car sped away.

"Hey, watch it Kao!" Hikaru snapped irritably. "Your elbow is jabbing into my ribs."

"I can't help it," Kaoru retorted coldly. "I can't even move! Tono's knees are digging into my back."

Tamaki tried to re-arrange his limbs and shifted around to find a more comfortable position. More shuffling ensued. The muted whir of the vehicles air-conditioning was drowned out by the sound of grunts and randomly uttered curses.

"Ano, I don't see why we couldn't take two cars," Honey pointed out reasonably.

The twins halted their squirming and glared at their idiot king who was currently trying to imitate a pretzel.

"Or even three," Hikaru muttered angrily. "It's tono's fault, as usual."

"Yeah," Kaoru rejoined. "Why couldn't we all just ride in our own cars?"

Mori made an imperceptible noise across them.

Without a word, he shoved Hikaru to the side, effectively disentangling him from his twin. He reached over and plucked Honey from his perch, swiftly moving Tamaki into the other corner with his free hand.

Kaoru was left sitting smack in the middle of the long seat with space to spare. Hikaru and Tamaki flanked him on both sides.

Mori dropped the tiny blonde gently beside.

"Takashi?" Honey's trembling voice was punctuated by a question mark.

"Is that better, Mitsukuni?" Mori asked gently.

Honey smiled into his cousin's worried face. "Hai!"

"Good," Mori mumbled, before settling back quietly into the padded leather.

A moment of peace reigned for all of twenty seconds before they started talking at the same time.

"So where do we—" Hikaru began.

"And how do you think we will—" Kaoru broke in.

"What do we do now, and how will we find Haru-chan?" Honey ended, piecing together the disjointed questions.

"Aiiiiieeeee!" Tamaki wailed, pulling at his hair in distress. "This is a disaster!"

His thoughts went back to the document the twins had shown them and if possible, his screech reached an even higher pitch.

Kaoru cringed as the host king's shriek pierced his eardrums. He glanced around and found that the others had covered their ears the minute Tamaki opened his mouth.

"Okaa-san's actions are absolutely disgraceful. Coming between a father and his daughter is unheard of!" he rumbled angrily. Tamaki grabbed the twin nearest him and shook him by the shoulders.

"What should we do? Where should we go? That rotten Ootori has proved to be far sneakier than we believed." Tamaki clutched at the Hitachiin desperately.

Hikaru slapped at the hand holding him in a death grip. "Eh, get a hold of yourself tono," he ordered shortly.

"Tamaki," Mori intoned reprovingly.

Tamaki hung his head at the warning in Mori's voice.

"But Mori-senpai… Haruhi…" he whispered, tears gleaming wetly in his blue-violet eyes.

Honey patted him on the head reassuringly. "Don't cry Tama-chan," he said kindly. "The twins were able to retrieve Kyou-chan's schedule remember?"

Honey bit his lip, hesitating. However, as he stared at the wretched state Tamaki was in, he made a decision.

He extended a small hand forward. "Here Tama-chan, hold on to Usa-chan for me for a little while, ok? There, there. No more tears, ne?"

Tamaki raised watery eyes to look into Honey's encouraging face and wiped tear-stained cheeks with his shirtsleeve.

He took Usa-chan and hugged him tightly, mumbling a soft 'arigatou' to their blonde senpai.

"Are we done with tono's drama special?" Hikaru queried sarcastically.

"Can we finally get down to business? Kyouya-senpai could have taken Haruhi half-way around the world in the time we've wasted pandering to this baka," he remarked, indicating Tamaki with a jerk of his thumb.

Tamaki glared hatefully at the elder Hitachiin.

Hikaru merely shrugged his shoulders. It was possible that their lord didn't realize what a ridiculous picture he presented. Tamaki-senpai could throw out the most evil and baleful looks and he wouldn't even bat an eyelash.

Did tono honestly think they'd be intimidated by someone hugging a stuffed bunny?

Hikaru's glance swiveled around and collided with Honey-senpai's interested gaze.

Ah well, he thought nervously. Perhaps it was more a question of _who_ the person holding the rabbit plushie was.

Kaoru cleared his throat. "Ahem, people. Let's concentrate on the task at hand, shall we." He interrupted, before things got out of hand.

"Ah," Mori echoed in agreement.

Kaoru disregarded the heated looks flying between Hikaru and their lord. He brought out his laptop and accessed the file containing Kyouya-senpai's itinerary.

He scrolled down until he found what he was looking for. It was a detailed list of all the sites Kyouya-senpai planned to visit that day.

Kaoru motioned for them to take a look.

"Ano, Kyou-chan intends to visit all these places today?" Honey asked doubtfully.

"We've already been to the Ocean park," he swiftly counted the lines on the screen. "That leaves us with nine other locations to check out." Honey's mouth turned down in disappointment.

"I agree with you Honey-senpai," Kaoru replied thoughtfully. "There are too many places on this list and not enough time. Kyouya-senpai probably took Haruhi to only one of them. The only problem is, which one?" he ended abruptly.

By then, Hikaru and Tamaki had set aside their differences and huddled around them, peering intently at the screen.

"What do you think, Hikaru?" he asked his twin, poking him in the stomach.

Hikaru swatted Kaoru's hand away and absently rubbed at his stomach. His amber eyes considered the list, then narrowed sharply as he noticed the footnote at the bottom of the page.

It looked like a letter.

"Tono," Hikaru barked, drawing Tamaki's attention. "Look," gesturing to the page break.

They gathered close, trying to make sense of what they were seeing.

"How could we have missed this?" Kaoru questioned aloud, absolutely horrified by the turn of events.

They quietly read the carefully typed note.

_Ohayo my dear friends,_

_Of course, as you may have guessed, the main point of this trip is to secure a better grasp of the trends in the common market; gaining a commoner's point of view would be invaluable to this particular endeavor. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that I find a willing subject to participate in this experiment. Opposition will probably be encountered in the methods I shall employ. Regardless of the potential threat, this project will proceed as planned. I will personally ensure the success of the operation. _

_Zeroing in on key components, I believe I have come up with a positively fail-safe program. Engineering this to comply with the required specifications will be a tedious and painstaking task. Nevertheless, I am confident that I will surpass initial expectations. _

_Given these circumstances, it is imperative that I gain your full support and approval. Admittedly, you are probably incensed by my recent actions. Rest assured that everything will be revealed in due time. Despite your theories and suppositions, I have not taken leave of my senses. Everything that has happened so far has all come to pass in accordance with my plans. Needless to say, it has been vastly entertaining to see whether you will, or will not catch up with me._

_So while you are busy trying to understand the meaning behind these words, I will be taking our 'natural rookie' on a little trip. Perhaps you will manage to figure out the next step of this game, and perhaps you will not— that is entirely your own affair. As Tamaki would say, 'Au revoir mes amis,' and I bid you the best of luck._

A dangerous growl erupted from the pit of Hikaru's belly and reverberated throughout his body.

Mori and Honey looked at each other, a troubled frown marring both their smooth foreheads.

Tamaki shook his head in denial. Here was unmitigated proof of Kyouya's betrayal. Confronted with the harsh and bitter truth, Tamaki felt compelled to do the one thing he always did when dealing with a difficult situation.

"Oh no," Kaoru gasped in dismay. "Tono's fainted again."

Hkaru glanced down at the crumpled form in mild disgust, and wearily muttered, "Let him be."

"Ano, maybe it's for the best," Honey ventured haltingly.

"Hai," Hikaru agreed slowly. "Tono would probably just get in our way, and right now, time is of the essence."

Hikaru stared at the tightly drawn ball at their side, and noted the pallor of usually flushed cheeks.

Sighing, he continued. "Besides, among all of us I think tono has suffered the most shock."

"True. In spite of his accusations, in his heart I think he never really believed that Kyouya-senpai intentionally did all this." Kaoru reasoned dismally.

"Poor Tama-chan," Honey murmured.

Hikaru grimaced as a bolt of pain shot through his right temple. He brought a hand to his throbbing head and massaged lightly.

"We have two options. The first is that we divide this list into three and check out the places separately. We'd get more done if we part ways right now."

Kaori moved closer to his twin and wrapped an arm around his shoulder comfortingly. Drawing strength from his brother's encouragement, he went on.

"I thought about it and while Kyouya-senpai is undeniably devious, he is also surprisingly fair. The second course of action we can take is to continue to stick together, and try to guess where he would actually take Haruhi."

Three faces stared at him gloomily.

Kaoru watched his other half closely, mentally tracing his thought process. Hikaru was obviously hinting at something…

The light of understanding flashed brightly.

He stared at Hikaru excitedly. "I get it!" Kaoru hurriedly retrieved Kyouya's message.

"Kyouya-senpai wouldn't have bothered to write something this trivial." Kaoru tapped his finger against the screen.

"The answer is hidden somewhere in this letter, I just know it!" he rasped breathlessly.

Hikaru smiled at him faintly, and gave an approving nod.

Four heads drew together to examine the contents of the clue Kyouya had generously provided them with.

Only one thought raced through each of their minds as they analyzed every sentence in the neatly composed correspondence.

The clock was ticking. They had to decipher the Shadow King's cryptic message, and they had to do it soon.

* * *

Her body was tingling pleasantly and Haruhi felt unbelievably light and free.

She was changing into the clothes Rio-san thoughtfully left on top of one of the chests in the room. While Haruhi wondered how the older girl had gotten hold of her things, the fact remained that she was thankful to be donning a fresh dress.

Haruhi was buttoning the last from a row of buttons when a soft rap sounded at the door.

"Come in," she called out.

Haruhi gently folded the midnight yukata and placed it lovingly on the bed beside her.

Steady and unhurried steps padded quietly towards her, and stopped a hair's breadth away from where she sat.

"Haruhi."

A feeling of calm serenity stole over her, and Haruhi looked up slowly.

"Hello, Kyouya," she said softly.

* * *

**_A/N:_**

**_Well? Can anyone help our motley group decode Kyouya's hidden clue? :P_**

xxx

_**Sama - (suffix) Formal version of "san." Respectful address towards important persons or those with higher rank  
**_

_**Chan - (suffix) - Informal version of "san." Used to address young children or a term of endearment for family, friends or anyone you are close to. May also be used as a "pet name" (as is the case in this story)  
**_

_**Gomen (nasai) - Sorry/ I'm sorry**_

_**Hai - Yes**_

_**Ohayo - Hello**_

_**Ano - "Um" Expression of uncertainty**_

_**Tono - Lord/ My Lord**_

_**Baka - Idiot/ Fool**_

_**Senpai - respectful title for an upperclassman/ senior  
**_

_**Usa-chan - Rabbit/ Bunny (Honey's stuffed bunny to be exact)  
**_

_**Arigatou (gozaimasu) - Thank you/ Thank you very much**_

_**Au revoir - Goodbye**_

_**Mes Amis - my friends**_


	17. Chapter 15

**A/N:**

**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Finally an update! :D**

**Sorry for the loooooooooooong absence people. I've been literally and figuratively swamped with work so it's been hell. Plus, I'm getting married in a month and that's just added to the craziness of my life!**

**Also to be honest, I wasn't quite sure how to end this particular chapter. I was undecided about whether or not to allow our favorite pair to experience some "skinship." LOL! **

**I mean so far, I've just hinted at Kyouya's growing physical attraction for our lovely Haruhi... and her budding awareness when it comes to the all-powerful Shadow King. :D  
**

**So there. I got stuck on that. :) What I eventually decided on... well... read on to see how it goes!**

**Again, reviews and reviewers are much loved! And I promise I won't take as long to upload the next chapter!**

**_Urasai, urasai self_ **

**I shall now leave you to read in peace. :P **

**Thanks and ja ne! **

* * *

The soft glow of the flickering light caused shadows to dance upon the walls. The gentle swish of water as Koi swam restlessly back and forth expanded in the silence, where nothing else could be heard but the sound of their breathing.

He stood before her, inhaling the subtle blend of musk and jasmine that was uniquely Haruhi. She looked at him directly, no trace of coquettish slyness or coy behavior—merely with mild curiosity.

Kyouya was both undone and amazed by this display of surprising docility in the previously truculent host. He had prepared himself for another round of childish petulance but for the first time this day, Haruhi had actually managed to unsettle him.

A small smile manifested itself upon his lips and traveled all the way to lighten obsidian eyes. "Hello Haruhi," Kyouya murmured. "You look rested," he ended quietly.

Haruhi looked into Kyouya's face and found that she couldn't summon up even the tiniest iota of negative feelings— she was that relaxed. Hmmnnn… perhaps this was not a good thing. In her current state, Kyouya could practically turn into a homicidal maniac in front of her and she wouldn't even bat an eyelash.

Instead, she decided to settle for the mundane. Maybe that would shift things back into their proper perspective.

"You look pretty refreshed yourself," she remarked observantly. Clearly still a bit damp, Kyouya's jet hair was slicked back closely to his scalp. A few errant strands fell loosely across his forehead, and Haruhi watched him brush them back almost impatiently.

"It was satisfactory," he agreed peremptorily. "That is hardly the issue here though, what I would like to know is if you enjoyed yourself Haruhi." He queried interestedly.

Haruhi smiled ruefully. "It always boils down to that with you doesn't it Kyouya? Business comes first."

Haruhi gave a self-deprecatory sigh. "I already figured as much, why I even bothered to mention this is beyond me."

Kyouya's brows rose involuntarily at her remark. She had clearly misunderstood the meaning behind his words. Before he could correct her erroneous assumption however, Haruhi began speaking again.

She flashed him a small, albeit wry twist of shell pink lips. "Hai Kyouya, you must know I did. This room," Haruhi braced her hands against the silken sheets and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. The aged wood was cleverly dusted with silver flecks clearly meant to depict the midnight sky. "Is absolutely gorgeous."

Haruhi straightened up and grinned at him fully. "But I don't need to tell you that, you should know better than anyone else, seeing as you designed this room ne?"

"Well at least your mood has improved Haruhi, that's good to know." Kyouya replied dryly.

The absurdity of the situation suddenly hit her, and Haruhi burst out laughing much to the chagrin of the dark haired junior.

Who would have thought that the day would come when she'd be discussing pleasantries (within such an opulent setting for a backdrop no less) with _The Shadow King_. It was just too much. Haruhi continued to shake with the force of her laughter and she clutched at the pristine beddings, desperately trying to control her mirth.

Kyouya couldn't help but respond to her relaxed gaiety and his face softened for a fraction of a second before he managed to school his features into their usual placid mask.

Grasping at the cool beddings, Haruhi's fingers brushed against the soft fabric of the robe she had just doffed. Every muscle in her body came to a standstill as she suddenly became aware of their surroundings and the intimacy it implied. Despite the fact that she was probably the slowest person in the world when it involved love and all the mess it entailed; she was not as naïve as everybody believed.

Haruhi colored faintly at her intrusive thoughts, hands unconsciously bunching up the luxuriant folds of the silken confection Kyouya had gifted her with.

Kyouya's keen eyes missed nothing, the small hitch in Haruhi's breathing coupled with her pursed lips immediately alerted him to the fact that something had just dawned on her, and that something upset or disturbed her greatly.

Kyouya gazed at her surreptitiously through half-closed lids, observing the tenseness in her shoulders and back, which were at odds with the gentle way she was stroking the yukata on the bed beside her. While he was aware that the reason for Haruhi's withdrawal into herself was probably triggered by the realization of the situation they were in, it was in his best interest to simply ignore her reaction.

"I forgot to thank you for this Kyouya, it's beautiful. Domo arigatou." Haruhi murmured softly.

Kyouya shook his head dismissively. "Don't mention it. It just reminded me of you is all." He ended with a small shrug.

Haruhi's eyes widened imperceptibly and her tiny mouth formed a small "o."

"That's an original Hitachiin, by the way. The only one of it's kind. All our yukatas are designed by Yuzuha-san personally and no two are alike." Kyouya moved closer to her as he spoke, and reached down to run a hand across the silky fabric.

Haruhi froze. Her face was much too close to his chest for comfort, with Kyouya leaning down as he was. She inhaled sharply.

Big mistake.

Haruhi caught a good whiff of the spicy fragrance of Kyouya's aftershave mingled with a disturbingly earthy smell that she couldn't quite place…

Kyouya scooped up the delicate material and dropped it onto Haruhi's lap and sat down beside her.

Startled, she shot him a nervous look and Haruhi was thrown into further confusion when he smiled.

"Er, why are you smiling at me like that for? It's unnerving." Haruhi complained crankily.

Kyouya wanted to wait until later that evening to give in to the urges that were coursing through his body. Because like all things, he believed that waiting served to make everything sweeter and much more interesting in the end. However, he had to admit that the sight and smell of Haruhi all rosy-cheeked and uncharacteristically relaxed sent his senses reeling.

"What?" Haruhi muttered grumpily, aggrieved by his silence. "Kyouya, my good mood is slowly evaporating due to your perversity." she ended with a huff.

Kyouya stirred slightly, the movement bringing him even closer to her. "I don't see why the fact that I am smiling is any cause for alarm, Haruhi." He intoned evenly.

"Or is it that you are disturbed by my nearness?" He continued softly, dark eyes peering intently into large brown ones.

Haruhi fidgeted uncomfortably, was he a mind reader as well? "Ano, of course not," she denied tetchily. "It's just that I don't understand why you have to stick so close to me when there's so much space."

Somehow, Haruhi could feel her heart pulsing erratically. While she still had no idea why her senses were reacting to Kyouya so oddly today, her inner self was screaming that remaining next to him would be a bad idea.

Kyouya refrained from commenting on her last statement and decided to withdraw for the moment. "Well Haruhi, what do you think about everything?" He asked expansively, staring into the wavering darkness.

Confused by the sudden change in topic, Haruhi tilted her head to look at him. The strong line of his jaw was thrown in stark relief against the shadows cast by the glimmering lights.

"I already told you, it's beautiful," Haruhi answered hesitantly.

"Why am I not surprised to hear a 'but' in your voice," he responded wryly.

"It's just that earlier, you mentioned this spa would cater to the commoner market." Haruhi glanced around then gave him a meaningful look.

"This is hardly commoner material, Kyouya." She ended dryly. "I don't see how us so-called poor folk could possibly afford to come to a place like this."

Haruhi turned away from him and sighed. "That's my observation at least. This is too upscale for the middle-class."

"Aaahh… although that's quite is true, it's hardly relevant in this issue." Kyouya said, smirking confidently.

"Eh? Why is that?" Haruhi asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Because this is our private quarters." He replied indifferently, pausing ever so subtly at the possessive pronoun. "The chances of a commoner entering this area are next to zero."

Huge chocolate eyes widened even further in dismay. "W-H-A-T?" Haruhi sputtered indignantly. "Then you dragged me all the way here for nothing?"

She glared at him in accusation. In a heartbeat, the tension that had previously inhabited her body came pounding back with a vengeance.

"Then what is this Kyouya? Tell me!" Haruhi demanded, tears of frustration pooling at the corner of her eyes.

"What was all that talk of needing my help and insight? Was that just a lie?" Haruhi asked jerkily, fists clenched tightly at her sides as a sudden surge of fury lanced through her.

Haruhi looked at Kyouya through a haze of anger and… hurt. Strangely enough she was deeply wounded by his revelation. She had actually believed that Kyouya truly wanted her input. In fact she had felt flattered that he thought well enough of her to trust her opinion on this. His casually uttered words felt like a slap in the face, and she bitterly regretted letting her defenses down.

Haruhi looked at him mutely, clouded brown eyes and trembling lips were the only indications of the emotions she was frantically trying to keep under wraps.

"I do believe that you're over-reacting, Haruhi." Kyouya said calmly, his face impassive as always.

Haruhi closed her eyes and mentally counted to ten. Hopefully blocking out Kyouya's image would help suppress her desire to strangle him. She took in deep calming breaths, offering up a prayer that she wouldn't embarrass her ancestors with any untoward behavior.

She pinned him with an even stare, and managed to meet his gaze openly, without a trace of the inner turmoil she was feeling. If she thought about it logically, she had no one else to blame for these feelings of betrayal but herself. After all, she was dealing with Kyouya here, whose motives she had never really quite understood.

If only he hadn't acted so out of character today, she wouldn't be in this predicament Haruhi thought resentfully. Because of his bizarre behavior, her whole perspective had been skewed.

Yes, that was probably it Haruhi concluded, worrying at her bottom lip.

"Don't you agree Haruhi?" Kyouya asked archly.

"Hmmnn? What was that Kyouya?" Haruhi responded absently, still trying to figure out where to move on from this point.

"I merely said that before you start ranting hysterically, it would be in your best interests to listen to what I have to say. I do have a perfectly valid reason for bringing you here." Kyouya stated sardonically.

She looked absolutely adorable. It took all Kyouya's willpower not to grab her and have his wicked way with her, so to speak. Her previously flushed face was even redder in the wake of her growing anger. It amused him to no end how easily Haruhi could be manipulated. All one had to know was which buttons to push.

Haruhi glared at him sourly. She wanted nothing more than to wipe off that annoying expression on his arrogant face.

"Fine," she replied through clenched teeth. "I'll bite."

Without warning, a deft hand shot out and Haruhi suddenly found herself falling sideways.

"Eh, Kyouya!" she yelped in alarm. "What are you… oomph," she groaned as her back collided with the unyielding presence of a strong limb.

Kyouya stared into the dazed eyes of the petite host and was slightly disconcerted to realize that his heartbeat was a thrumming staccato in his chest. Now that he had her in his arms, there was no way that he'd let go without at least giving in to one curiosity.

"Haruhi," Kyouya murmured huskily.

Haruhi's head lifted at the sound. Unfocused eyes gradually centered on a face that was alarmingly much too close to her own.

A myriad of conflicting emotions careened crazily through every fiber of her being as she lay like a limp vegetable in Kyouya's arms.

Haruhi refused to budge so much as an inch as each movement brought her unnervingly close to the hardened planes of Kyouya's body.

As if she wasn't jittery enough she thought to herself moodily. It was decidedly annoying how just when her senses would finally quiet down, her body would react weirdly and she'd find herself chasing after another nameless feeling once again.

It reminded her strangely of a winding staircase. No matter how much she tried to move forward, the last step remained simply beyond sight.

Haruhi was unaware that her wide caramel eyes betrayed her every shift in thought and mood. Kyouya's breath quickened as he felt her erratic and throbbing pulse beneath his stroking thumb.

"Ano…" Haruhi stammered nervously. "Would you mind letting me up Kyouya? This position is uncomfortable."

He merely raised a raven brow and ignored her for what seemed to be the nth time that day.

Haruhi started struggling in earnest, a bit panicked by the unfamiliar pressure slowly creeping over her.

"Kyouya-senpai," she bit out in a loud gasp, "please let me go."

Kyouya was startled by her energetic outburst but managed to restrain her vigorous flapping. "Haruhi," he demanded darkly. "Stop… moving…," he ordered in a strained voice.

Her wriggling motions were driving him to distraction. If he had been aware of the sweet curves of Haruhi's body earlier, it would be safe to say that he had truly leveled up in terms of physical knowledge.

Haruhi shot him a murderous look. "I wouldn't be thrashing around if you'd just lay off," she muttered irately. Dealing with Kyouya truly was a vexation to the spirit she thought uncharitably.

"Just quit it or…," Kyouya countered in a low voice. Or else I won't be responsible for my actions, he continued in his mind.

"Or else what?" Haruhi challenged mutinously, ignoring the unspoken warning. Her eyes took on the color of melted chocolate.

You asked for this, Kyouya thought with an inward smirk.

"This," Kyouya growled fiercely before swooping down to claim her lips in a searing kiss.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Ano - "um" expression of uncertainty**_

_**Senpai - respectful address to a person older than one's self**_

_**Ne - "eh" verbal expression**_

_**Domo arigatou - thank you very much**_

* * *


	18. Chapter 16

_**A/N:**_

_**Hi people! I'm alive! :D Thanks for all the reviews and heart-warming congratulations on my wedding. :)**_

_**So I'm now a "missus" and it takes a bit of getting used to but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon-ish! LOL!**_

_**Anyway, hope you enjoy this next installment! And as always, your comments, reviews, suggestions or anything else you'd like to throw at me are more than welcome!**_

_**So there. :)**_

_**Toodles!**_

* * *

Kaoru stroked his chin thoughtfully, his calculating brain rapidly going over the various puzzles and brainteasers he'd ever encountered thus far. Somehow, his gut was telling him that the answer to the quandary they were in was right in front of them; he just couldn't see it.

Kyouya-senpai had really outdone himself this time. Kaoru shot a disparaging glance at the settee behind him. Apparently, tono had yet to regain consciousness and Hikaru was obsessing over all the heinous things he planned to do to the Low Blood Pressure Evil Lord once they found him.

Kaoru then stole a quick peek at their other two companions. Mori-senpai was as taciturn as ever, merely watching over them with his usual stoic and unblinking stare. Nothing new there really, and damned if he knew what the dark-haired boy was thinking. Honey-senpai on the other hand was unusually subdued, absorbed in putting up a valiant effort not to start crying.

Kaoru sighed wearily. Needless to say, they weren't being helpful at all. It annoyed him slightly but he supposed it was better than having them screaming in his face to hurry up and crack that ridiculous code.

Absently, he began rubbing the back of his neck to relieve the growing tension that had built up. Obviously there was a pattern that they were all missing. What they needed were a fresh perspective, which at the moment, none of them could provide. At that thought, Kaoru closed his own amber-colored orbs and wondered if they'd be able to penetrate the mystery shrouding Kyouya-senpai's note.

"Hmmm… can you back up a bit Kaoru, to the second paragraph. I think I saw something," a voice murmured sleepily behind him.

Kaoru's eyes widened as he watched their fearless leader rub the sleep out from blue-violet pools.

"Eh, have you been awake and trying to figure this out all this time tono?" He asked in surprise.

Tamaki shook his head. "Not really," he muttered sheepishly. "Something just caught my eye." He explained in a rush.

Kaoru stared at the second paragraph in consideration. What could he have missed? He gestured towards the laptop with a flourish. "It's all yours then."

Tamaki stabbed an elegant finger against the monitor and mumbled groggily, "Take a look at the first letters of each sentence in this paragraph. Doesn't it spell the word Zen?" The junior stifled another yawn. "I'm pretty sure we came across something with a 'zen' in it in the list of locations we found."

Kaoru gazed at him sharply, before turning his attention back to the laptop on the table. He scrolled down leisurely, not really putting too much faith in their hapless leader's words.

_**Z**__eroing in on key components, I believe I have come up with a positively fail-safe program. __**E**__ngineering this to comply with the required specifications will be a tedious and painstaking task. __**N**__evertheless, I am confident that I will surpass initial expectations. _

Good Lord Almighty! It was there, clear as day, Kaoru thought in utter disbelief. He looked back and forth between the glowing screen and their drowsy-eyed King.

Kaoru clicked several folders open until he came across the one he was looking for. He quickly scanned the contents of the page, then compared it to the file open before him. After finding what he was looking for, a slow smile spread across his face.

He let out an ear-piercing whistle and was gratified to see the startled looks the others swung his way, not to mention the lethal glare his twin shot at him for rudely interrupting his violent fantasies.

A positively Cheshire cat-like grin stretched Kaoru's mouth into an almost unnatural position.

"Oi," he drawled cockily, "we're back in business."

* * *

A pale foot was crossed over slender ankles. The said foot was quietly moving in time to some unheard song.

Perfectly sculptured legs were exposed to the balmy sea air, soaking up the gentle morning sun. Thin white wires criss-crossed over a flat belly and traveled sideways to connect with the Ipod carelessly strewn beside the lounge chair.

Wide glasses were perched saucily over a slim nose, which was already turning a charming shade of pink, and the bikini-clad figure stared out into the azure sea.

Sipping on an ice-cold Piña Colada, a gusty sigh escaped coral-tinted lips. Efforts aside, an odiously annoying voice kept nagging, and rubbing in the fact that it was wrong to have left her home alone and unchaperoned.

It was impossible to reason with the voice, but there was no harm in trying right?

"_But she'll be fine. I left her in the care of a friend," voice number one murmured in a wheedling tone._

"_Hai, you left her in the hands of THAT particular friend, how responsible of you." Voice number two replied in a droll tone before going on to practically scream, "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"_

"_But he can be trusted," voice number one argued defensively. "And I don't care what you think, I like Kyou-chan. What are you anyway, my conscience or something?" it questioned sulkily, before turning away with a pout._

"_Aah, yes. Something to that effect." Was the biting reply. _

"_Well you can stuff your high-minded opinions where the sun don't—"_

"Yoohoo!!! Ranka-darling!" A cheery greeting sang out.

Ranka was jolted out of the heated argument going on inside his head by the sudden grating sound in an otherwise peaceful setting.

His eyes darted to where the noise originated. A tall, statuesque blonde was grinning at him and waving her arms like crazy.

Ranka couldn't help but smile at her antics.

"Darling," she oozed out. "We're going into town to buy more food and booze, won't you come with?" She cooed cajolingly. "It won't be as much fun without you."

A throaty laugh escaped the narrow column of the okama's neck and he answered back just as girlishly, "Mochiron, let me just get my things."

That said, Ranka took one last sip of his icy beverage, gathered his things and for the moment, forgot about the discussion he was embroiled in with his inner parent.

* * *

Her lips were still tingling.

Haruhi lifted a trembling hand to her mouth gingerly, as if afraid of what she might find.

True enough, the soft flesh felt hot to the touch. _Like I've just been kissed senseless_ was the first thought that popped into her mind.

She felt the flush in her cheeks and knew without even having to look into a mirror that she was red as a ripe and juicy Red Delicious apple.

She shook her head roughly to chase away the unwanted musings. Although she was a bit disturbed by what had happened earlier, a part of her was secretly thrilled.

Chocolate eyes widened imperceptibly.

_Thrilled? _

What in heaven's name was she thinking? Could the shock have addled her wits? Haruhi chew on her bottom lip worriedly. Was that even possible? Unbidden, her frazzled brain started to replay the mind-boggling event that had occurred a few minutes past.

Try as she might, she couldn't block out the sight of obsidian eyes boring into hers, nor could she fully escape remembering the incredible sexiness of those sensuous lips that ravaged her innocent mouth so fully and completely.

_It was too late to do anything but stare in stupefied amazement as Kyouya's face descended down on hers. _

_His sudden move caught her so off-guard that all Haruhi could do was let out a terrified squeal before experienced lips closed over the small bud of her own._

_And the world spun crazily after that._

_Each flick and glide of his expert tongue across highly sensitized lips was more than she could endure. Insistent and probing; gentle yet at the same time demanding nothing less than total submission from her._

_Blood-quickening, heartbeat thrumming frantically within her chest— it was all too much. The firm and knowing caress of long fingers that threaded roughly through her hair, the solid strength of that lean and unbelievably toned body… (a body she would never have guessed was hidden underneath Kyouya's impeccably neat uniform). _

_Haruhi could only gasp out at the sheer force of all the different feelings that were thundering within her body._

_And that gasp had been her undoing._

Good Lord, Haruhi thought with a heart-felt groan. Why couldn't those insidious and lecherous thoughts leave her alone?

Haruhi leaned back against the cool leather and threw an arm across her face, more to shield her eyes from reality, rather than the gathering darkness.

Kyouya had kissed her, and what was worse— she had kissed him back.

"Kami-sama…" she mumbled miserably. "What on earth am I going to do?"

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Kyouya was shrugging into his shirt when the hesitant knock sounded.

He had to exert a great deal of effort not to snarl his greeting. Instead, he cleared his throat and managed a polite, "Come in."

Rio Tanaka stepped inside just in time to catch her employer smoothing down the fabric of the crisp top that he donned.

He raised a jet brow. "Isn't there something you wish to tell me, Tanaka-san?" he inquired silkily.

Rio squirmed under his gaze, silently cursing the gods that allowed her to get stuck with this particular errand. It was bad enough that she had interrupted Ootori-sama's earlier activities with… she closed her eyes and shoved the thought away.

Stupid Tachibana, she thought irately. He should have been the one to inform the Ootori heir of his unwanted visitors.

If thoughts alone could kill, Tachibana'd probably be stone cold and six feet underground by now, she thought venomously.

A soft cough broke through her silent reverie.

Kyouya gazed at her in amusement. He could tell with just one look that the poor girl was still mortified over her mishap. While he was a bit peeved at the untimely interruption, he supposed were it not for her, matters might have gotten out of hand.

"Tanaka-san?" Kyouya repeated dryly, "I suggest you tell me what it is you have to say. I don't have time to watch you gawk at me the whole day."

Rio's hand flew to her mouth and this time, she let out a loud groan.

"Ah, gomen nasai Ootori-sama. We just received a call from Tachibana to inform you that the package has been delivered..."

Rio scrunched her nose, there was something else. What was it again? Something about worms and sparrows…

"And?" Kyouya prompted impatiently.

Rio gulped, frantically trying to recall the ambiguous words left by Tachibana.

"Worms!" she blurted out without thinking. "Tachibana said that the sparrow has caught another worm and is en route." Rio ended in a rush.

She looked at the dark-haired Ootori uncertainly, wondering if the bizarre message would anger him.

To her consternation, he actually smiled.

A discreet beep sounded within the room and a voice floated in the air.

"Sumimasen, Ootori-sama but you have guests. A group of gentlemen," there was a slight pause, before the voice continued. "From the Host Club are here to see you."

"Aah, arigatou Hagumi-san. Attend to them, onegai." Kyouya requested evenly.

"Hai," the Mika answered politely, then was gone.

Kyouya then turned to Rio. "Tanaka-san, kindly assist Hagumi-san in welcoming our visitors. Make sure they are comfortable," he ended, a strange gleam entering his eyes.

"Right away, Ootori-sama." Bowing low, she mumbled her acquiesce and hurriedly stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

A full on grin manifested on Kyouya's face and he could almost hear the indignant wails of the others in the air.

Pretty soon he'd have the answers to the questions that were running through his mind.

"Fascinating," he murmured faintly to himself before allowing a tiny chuckle to escape his lips.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Tono - Lord/ master**_

_**Senpai - used to address seniors or upperclassmen in schools  
**_

_**Sama - formal version of 'san' and used to show respect or deference for persons of higher rank/ position  
**_

_**San - a common courtesy title such as "Ms." or "Mr."  
**_

_**Kami - God**_

_**Hai - Yes**_

_**Gomen nasai - I'm sorry/ sorry**_

_**Mochiron - Of course**_

_**Onegai - Please**_

_**Arigatou - Thank you  
**_

_**Sumimasen - Excuse me  
**_


	19. Chapter 17

**_A/N: _**

**_Happy Holidays everyone! :D I was planning to make this a longer chappie but eventually decided to post it as is. It may be a bit shorter than my usual chapters but with all the mad dashing about I've been doing, I haven't really had much time to write. :(_**

**_Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this! And as always, your comments, suggestions and reviews are more than welcome!_**

**_Happy New Year!_**

* * *

Kyouya calmly sipped his Jasmine tea. Despite the fact that he could already hear the irate voices drawing near, he was composed as ever. Which after all, was only to be expected from the Host Club's 'Cool' type.

The heavy doors swung open and the group of angry young men stomped inside.

"KYOU-YA! What is the meaning of this?!" The tall blonde thundered without any preamble.

The Ootori merely looked up, and murmured mildly, "Why, it's good to see you too Tamaki, have a seat, onegai."

Tamaki colored at the subtle rebuke and dropped down onto the settee with a soft thump.

The rest of the club was now gathered around him, the expressions on their faces ranged from unreadable to absolutely murderous. In fact, He could feel the killing intent emanating from Hikaru in spades. He smirked inwardly at that.

"Konbanwa minna," he said graciously. "Please have a seat. After all," Kyouya paused slightly before continuing, "I'm sure it's been a long day." He ended with an evil grin.

All hell broke loose after that.

* * *

"Ano… Where are you taking me Tachibana-san?" Haruhi asked hesitantly. She shot a quick glance outside the window, noting the unfamiliar scenery.

"Gomen nasai Fujioka-sama, but Ootori-sama gave strict instructions that I was not to divulge our location to you until he arrives himself." The driver replied firmly.

"Eh!!!" Haruhi yelped in surprise. "What's that supposed to mean? You have to take me home, Tachibana-san! Otou-san will be worried if I don't come home."

"Gomen, but Ootori-sama has already made arrangements with Ranka-sama. He has been apprised of your whereabouts." Tachibana murmured apologetically in response.

He almost pitied the poor girl for having gotten caught up in the bocchama's schemes. Although he had to admit that he was thankful since this was the first time he'd seen Kyouya-sama so animated about something in ages.

"WHAT?" Haruhi shrieked in panic. "I don't believe you!" she said accusatorily, "Otou-san wouldn't have given his consent so easily. Kyouya must have blackmailed him or something." She concluded in a hard tone.

"That rotten bastard," she muttered angrily. "Just you wait, when I get my hands on you I'll..."

_Yes Haruhi, you'll what— do pray tell_ her inner voice queried interestedly. _Do you really believe that there's anything you can do to get a rise out of that cold-blooded devil?_

_And come now, cold-blooded? Tsk tsk. Now be honest with yourself, you know better than anyone else just how untrue that is. In fact, you probably know that best_ the voice continued, ending in a soft snicker.

"Aaaargh!" Haruhi exclaimed agitatedly. The voice inside her head was whispering all sorts of absurdities into her brain, things that were better left unsaid and definitely left unheeded.

"Urusai," she grumbled to herself irritably.

To outsmart the devil in this game they were playing, she needed all her wits about her. Nothing would come out of constantly worrying over such worthless trivialities like that kiss.

_That kiss…_

Haruhi shook her head roughly, as though the act alone could drive away the unwanted intrusions crowding her mind.

Kyouya was a formidable opponent and if she intended to pit her wits against him, she needed a clear head. She had already let her guard down one too many times today.

Haruhi glanced at the stern profile of Tachibana and let out an inaudible sigh. She had already established the fact that she would receive no help from Kyouya's driver. Well, that was to be expected she thought to herself wryly. Kyouya would never in a million years knowingly place someone he didn't trust implicitly near his person. Therefore it was safe to say that asking Tachibana for assistance was out of the question.

"Tell me one thing though, Tachibana-san," she questioned suddenly.

"What is it Fujioka-sama?" he replied politely.

"Why the need for all this cloak-and-dagger business anyway? What merits could Kyouya possibly gain from doing this, from keeping me here?"

"Gomen Fujioka-sama but perhaps you should ask Ootori-sama that yourself." Tachibana murmured easily.

Haruhi growled in frustration. Typical that the Shadow King's retainers would be just as close-mouthed and ambiguous as he was.

Finally resigning herself to her current situation, she allowed the tension that had tightened her muscles to flow out. Haruhi leaned back once more against the cool leather and closed her eyes.

Images of the day's events flashed behind flickering lids and she pondered over what she could possibly do to exact her revenge upon the Shadow King.

* * *

Kyouya negligently crossed one elegantly clad leg over the other, an air of careless indifference wrapped around him like an invisible cloak.

He studied them casually through eyes half-shut, wondering idly when they'd get around to asking him their questions. The corner of his lip curled upward slightly as he watched Hikaru deliver a mean left hook to their barking King.

_Idiots, _he thought disdainfully.

"Ano," a small voice piped up from somewhere to his left.

Kyouya's gaze swung around and clashed with wide brown eyes.

"Where's Haruhi, Kyou-chan?" Honey asked quietly.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Onegai - please**_

_**Konbanwa minna - good evening, everyone**_

_**Gomen nasai - I'm sorry/ sorry**_

_**Bocchama - young master**_

_**Otou-san - father**_

_**Urusai - quiet/ shut up**_


	20. Chapter 18

_**A/N:**_

_**Yahoo! I'm alive again!!! **_

_**Thank you to everyone who's waited so patiently for me to get off my lazy ass and update my stories! My thanks goes out to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I know I wasn't able to answer you all personally as is my SOP, but please know that your kind words have encouraged me to keep plodding on! :D**_

_**Anyhoo, I'm thinking that if all goes well, the succeeding two chapters will be my last. :) I wanna end this story as I came across one on the site with the same title and it's kinda annoying me. lol! And harboring negative vibes isn't something I need right now because I am currently carrying a life inside me.**_

_**Haha! Yep! I'm going to be a mommy in a few months and I only want happy sappy feelings surrounding me at the moment, so I plan to end this story with a bang soon, as that would make me ecstatic!**_

_**So there. I'll shut up with my useless prattle now. :D**_

_**Hope you enjoy this update! As always, drop me a line as I would be tickled pink to hear from you!**_

_**Ja ne!**_

* * *

"We've arrived Fujioka-sama." Tachibana stated in a low tone.

"Eh" she mumbled groggily, rubbing the sleep from half-closed lids.

"We've arrived," he repeated patiently, politely waiting for her to 'wake up' so to speak.

Haruhi owlishly blinked sleep-fogged eyes and blearily took in the nearby surroundings. Her gaze widened imperceptibly as she realized the area was totally unfamiliar to her. She hastily shot out of the door Tachibana so graciously held open for her. A faint salty scent assailed her nostrils as her skin made contact with the balmy breeze.

"Where are we Tachibana-san?" Haruhi queried again, despite already resigning herself to the fact that she still wouldn't be getting any answers. Either way, she had her own suspicions about the matter if the air was anything to go by. She just needed a verbal confirmation of the thought lurking in her mind.

"We've arrived in Ootori-sama's seaside villa, in Okinawa." He replied deferentially before continuing, "Now if you please, let's head on inside and get you settled Fujioka-sama."

"Umi? Okinawa…" she repeated stupidly, before reality set in. "How long was I asleep Tachibana-san?" Haruhi demanded heatedly. "How is it possible that we've… that we've gotten this far without my realizing it?" she sputtered indelicately.

Tachibana cleared his throat, smothering a small chuckle. "Gomen Fujioka-sama but you've been asleep for a good two and a half hours. You were sleeping so peacefully I didn't have the heart to wake you." He finally ended with a smile.

Haruhi could do nothing but stare at him, mouth comically agape. Umi… Okinawa… Umi… she thought numbly, the words going around and around in her head in mindless circles. She stood rooted to the spot, unmindful of the wind that was slowly picking up in speed.

Tachibana took in the dazed form of his reluctant ward with something akin to pity in his eyes. For the second time that day, he felt sorry for the tiny slip of a girl who he was gently pushing towards the open doorway of the mansion looming before them.

***

The others stilled as Honey finally voiced out the nagging question at the back of their minds.

"Where's Haruhi, Kyou-chan?" he repeated once more, this time a hint of steel edging his tone.

"She's…" Kyouya paused to take a deliberate sip from the steaming cup on the table before continuing, "I believe she's home; unless there's someplace else you think she should be?" He quipped with an enigmatic smile.

Kyouya looked around at the expectant faces before him, and slowly crossed one leg over another, letting his twisted sense of humor get the better of him and purposely being vague.

"Stop jerking us around Kyouya-senpai!" Hikaru snarled viciously. "We're not stupid you know, we've already checked her house and no one was there, not even Ranka-san!"

"Hai, we're not idiots senpai, that's one of the first places we looked. Besides, you wouldn't have bothered with this cat-and-mouse game if things were that simple." Kaoru added, in a slightly more level but no less hostile tone.

Tamaki was looking at him with watery eyes, biting his lip indecisively as he watched the exchange between his best friend and the two red-haired devils. True to his trusting nature, he wanted to hear Kyouya out first before blurting out the things he wanted to say— a rare display of restraint and prudence from the usually over-zealous and high strung host.

It was all Kyouya could do to keep from rolling his eyes. It was typical of Tamaki to be so transparent. He could practically see the gears turning between the idiot's ears.

_Too easy, Tamaki. You're too easy to read_ he thought scornfully.

"We know she was with you Kyou-kun," Mori intoned softly, cutting through the rapidly escalating tension like a knife.

Kyouya glanced at him and merely shrugged, reiterating his earlier statement. "Like I previously stated, Haruhi is home Mori-senpai," he drawled indifferently. He raised a brow at their incredulous faces and decided he _could_ be magnanimous and throw them a bone, thus he continued. "While it is true she was with me this afternoon," _and the better part of the whole morning to be precise he conceded wickedly. _"Gomen but I already had Tachibana-san take her home— you're too late, I'm afraid." He ended with an insincere smile.

_Only, to whose home is the real question._

Hikaru clenched his hands in an effort not to throw a jab into his senpai's gut and smash that smug look from his face.

Kaoru exerted a tad bit more pressure on the limb he was holding on to, clearly understanding that Hikaru was just about ready to let his arms fly given the opportunity.

He sighed inwardly, what did he expect from his volatile twin— surely not a semblance of self-control? Asking that would have been too much given that one look at Hikaru's contorted visage had him sighing again, this time loud enough for his brother to hear.

Hikaru swung a startled gaze in his direction, "Eh, what's with that undignified noise Kaoru?" he demanded irritably.

Kaoru gave him a pained look then pointedly turned his attention back to their dark-haired nemesis.

"You expect us to believe that, Kyouya-senpai? I for one, find it utterly low that you'd even try feeding us such garbage," Kaoru chided almost pleasantly, as if is hands weren't itching to do the same thing his other half was raring to do. "You expect us to meekly accept your lame excuse after the hellish ordeal we've gone through today?" He shook his head. "Not bloody likely." He muttered grimly.

Kyouya smiled thinly, the light not quite reaching his eyes. "Ordeal?" he questioned levelly. "I would have thought you— at the very least, would appreciate the creativeness of this whole production. After all, is this not what we hosts do best? Play games and whatnot?" He murmured, looking inquiringly at the Host King from the corner of his eye.

"Mind games are the most entertaining after all, are they not Tamaki?" Kyouya turned sideways, focusing his attention on the wide-eyed blonde who had yet to speak since the whole conversation started.

Tamaki looked into the shuttered face of his best friend and thought that this was probably how a rabbit felt when staring into the eyes of a king cobra. He gulped audibly.

Mildly annoyed at his friend's stupefied reaction, his next words came out more sharply than he intended.

"I merely thought that today's fiasco would be amusing, is all. Too bad that you all performed below par and it ended up a waste of my time. Completely without merit." Kyouya remarked coldly. His glasses glinted dangerously as he pushed them up an aquiline nose.

He looked at the seething twins and a ghost of some undefined emotion flickered across his features. "Though I have to admit that you were the exception Hikaru." Kyouya stated blandly. "I didn't expect you to be able to break into my personal files so quickly, and so easily— quite commendable really. Remind me to pay you back for the effort," he added, "one of these days," a scary smile curving his lips.

While this was going on, a mini drama was ensuing within a certain person's head.

TAMAKI INNER MIND THEATER 2

"_Don't be fooled by his pretty words you wretch, he's not your friend— he's your enemy! Your enemy you hear!" Devil Tamaki shouted heatedly._

"_B…bbb…but that's not possible," Tamaki wailed piteously. "He's my best friend. If he says Haruhi's home, I should believe him, right?" he queried uncertainly._

"_Of course you should, he wouldn't lie to his mon ami." A white-robed and haloed Tamaki stated piously._

_A loud snort filled the air, followed by a rough poke from a blunt-tipped pitchfork._

"_Itai! That hurt!" Tamaki cried loudly, furiously rubbing his abused posterior. _

"_My friend this, my friend that… blah… blah… blah." Devil Tamaki mimicked in a sing-song fashion. "While you're here playing in lala-land that fiend is about to get away with murder." _

_His face took on a contemplative set, "Kyou-kun would probably make a splendid devil," he mused to himself. "He has the guts to go after what he wants," he coughed and let his gaze land on Tamaki who was curled up in a corner. "Unlike some people…" He muttered, letting his sentence trail off._

_Angel Tamaki rushed in front of the pitiful ball and brandished a flaming sword at the black-clad and horned being. "Quit torturing him, he's already suffered enough." This was said in a protective rush._

_Devil Tamaki favored them with a bored look. "No need to be so crotchety. I'm done with that pathetic excuse of a man," he replied nonchalantly. "And as for torment, he'll feel that soon enough."_

_His eyes glittered coldly. "Friend or not, in this game Kyou-kun has set into motion you are being outplayed and outclassed milord." Devil Tamaki averred mockingly. "And it's a sad but true fact that if you continue as you are, you really will lose her— for good." He ended cryptically._

"_Get thee gone you spawn of Hades!" Angel Tamaki spluttered, outraged and going into an apoplectic fit._

_Devil Tamaki merely roared with laughter, and the laughter remained long after he faded from view._

It was that heinous mirth that jolted him out of his stupor.

Blue-violet eyes raked in the scene playing out before him. Mori-senpai was holding on to a murderous Hikaru squirming frantically in his clasp and hurling expletives at the bespectacled host. Honey-senpai was jumping up and down like a mad bunny, riding out a sugar-high.

Kaoru, as usual was playing mediator amidst the frenzied teens.

And Kyouya… the damned bastard was calmly taking everything in stride, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

It was too much to take and the fragile chain keeping his feelings in check finally snapped.

"Kyouya!" Tamaki bellowed unconsciously.

Everyone stilled at the sudden, uncharacteristic outburst. They all stared at him with stunned expressions, as it was unheard of for the Host King to raise his voice in any other tone but a ridiculous one.

Normally limpid pools were sparking with suppressed ire. "I demand an explanation for your actions today, Kyouya. If your answer satisfies me, I'll let you go with only a minor punishment." He rumbled imperiously, as though addressing a commoner.

Kyouya rolled his eyes skyward, then schooled his face into the usual expressionless mask.

"What's there to explain? Weren't you listening when I said that this was all just a game— and a boring one at that," he responded icily.

"If it's just a game, then where is Haruhi?" Tamaki looked him squarely in the eye as he asked the question.

If possible, Kyouya's voice dropped several degrees lower and he answered in glacial tones. "This is getting tiresome Tamaki, I already told you that she's home."

Kyouya crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned against the nearby mantel languidly. Despite the deceptive laziness of the pose, his obsidian eyes glittered dangerously— promising unholy retribution should one more idiotic remark fall from the lips of their king.

"So what's it going to be Tamaki," he questioned tersely. "If you are unwilling to believe me, what then?" Kyouya demanded mockingly, an unspoken challenge glinting in dark orbs.

Refusing to be daunted, Tamaki stared back stubbornly, sharp eyes probing and taking in each square inch of his opponent's face, hoping to see a crack in the other's armor.

He found none.

Locked in a stalemate, darkness and light continued their mental battle while the other hosts were left with no other choice but to stand by in helpless fascination as the silent war waged on.

* * *

_**A/N:**_

_**Sama, san - Japanese honorofics**_

_**Senpai - upperclassman**_

_**Gomen - Sorry**_

_**Umi - Sea/ ocean**_

_**Itai - Ouch**_

_*******_

_**By the way, there really is an Izu peninsula. :D I googled it! LOL!**_


	21. Chapter 19

_**A/N:**_

_**OMG! I'm alive! After almost a 2-year absence, I'm tying up the loose ends I've left unfinished here one by one, starting with my personal favorite, A Matter of Time. For those of you still reading this fic, I'm really sorry that it's taken forever for me to update. Life and general disinterest kept me from doing anything with this story until now.**_

_**Anyway, I plan to finish this fic soon and I do hope that you'll stay with me until the end!**_

_**That's about it for now. :) Thanks and hope you enjoy this jump-start into reviving this little baby of mine!**_

* * *

Haruhi trailed fingers along the silken sheets on the king-sized bed that dominated the center of the room, and let her eyes wander around. Despite the fact that she was weary and bone-tired, she couldn't seem to settle down.

In fact, she was becoming more and more restless with each passing second.

Not to mention utterly frustrated as well, she thought darkly. She had pestered Tachibana-san with a million and one questions about what she was doing here, and where in the world that dark-haired bastard (the devil who had her kidnapped, which was the foremost thing on her mind) had run off to but had been unable to pry out an answer from the tight-lipped driver.

"I would have been better off talking to a corpse", Haruhi muttered to herself crossly.

Unable to keep still any longer, she stood up and walked towards the window and pushed it open. Immediately the balmy scent of the ocean tickled her nostrils. She inhaled deeply, breathing in the salty breeze. Haruhi closed her eyes briefly, simply enjoying the cool evening wind that ruffled the loose tendrils of hair framing her face.

After a few moments, her eyelids fluttered open and she took in the sight before her. The ocean's surface was calm, like a mirror reflecting the silvery moon. Only the tiny ripples in the water marred the glass-like stillness.

Which was exactly how she was feeling. The events of the whole day were suddenly becoming alarmingly surreal. No matter how she looked at it, she could barely make heads or tails of the uncharacteristic (ok— scratch that, maybe strange and downright bizarre was a better description) way Kyouya had acted. While it was normal for him to boss her around and confuse her with his convoluted ways and sinister plots, it was definitely out of the ordinary for him to single her out and actually spend time alone with her.

Come to think of it, she had never been truly alone with Kyouya before. Ever.

This was definitely a first.

Haruhi sighed dismally, still nowhere near solving the mystery that was her dark-haired captor. She moseyed on back towards the bed and fell on top of it with a plop. She was staring blankly at the ceiling when a frisson of awareness shimmied up her spine.

Haruhi blinked. The delicate arches and darkly crafted wood seemed vaguely familiar. She suddenly bolted upright and took in the room once more with narrowed eyes.

Haruhi let her gaze skim over each and every piece of furniture that adorned the living area. Parts of the puzzle started clicking into place as she catalogued each and every piece of furniture and knick-knack that were gracefully arranged around the ornate room.

Haruhi barely smothered a gasp as the reason for the niggling sense of discomfort she had felt ever since she stepped into the chambers finally dawned on her.

This was where _IT _had happened.

She hastily scrambled off the bed and gave it a venomous glare for good measure. This was where that ill-fated encounter with Kyouya several months past had occurred.

This was the same bed wherein he had effortlessly pinned her down and ruthlessly demonstrated the difference in strength between boys and girls.

Haruhi flushed with embarrassment as she recalled her naïve response, and her greater shame when he had pointed out how her thoughtlessness had affected everyone— placing great emphasis on how her actions had inconvenienced him in particular.

She had almost forgotten it. Now though, it was all rushing back with a blazing clarity that she couldn't possibly ignore.

Haruhi bit her lip in consternation. What merit could Kyouya gain by bringing her here? A thousand-and-one possibilities raced through her brain, but not a single thought came close to explaining why the Ootori heir had acted the way he had.

Unless…

Haruhi picked at the idea forming in her mind almost hesitantly, tentatively tasting it on her tongue as she voiced her inner musings out loud.

"Could it possibly be… that Kyouya wanted to spend time with me?" Haruhi whispered in shock. "But that, that's absurd!" She exploded in a rush.

_And yet he kissed you, _her traitorous mind taunted back.

Haruhi suddenly went pale at the unspoken rejoinder, alternating between cold spells and hot flashes.

_What's so absurd about that, _her inner voice pointed out in a reasonable tone_. You of all people know that that person never does anything without cause; and much as he protests, Kyouya is motivated solely by the merits he receives from his actions. Whatever they may be is irrelevant, what matters is that he deems they are valuable and of use to him._

Haruhi chewed on her bottom lip disconcertedly. In what universe was it even possible that Kyouya Ootori, the one and only_ Shadow King and Low Blood Pressure Demon_ of the Ouran High School Host Club could actually like her?

The idea alone was mind-boggling, crazy and downright preposterous!

_Really now, _her inner voice snickered in an amusement._ After everything that's happened today, can you deny that such a thing could be true? Need I remind you about that kiss? Furthermore, not only did you allow him to kiss you— you kissed him back. If that's not a clear indication of his feelings— or yours for that matter, I don't know what is, _the voice ended mockingly.

"Oh shut it!" She muttered irritably.

Not only was it impossible, it was highly improbable.

It was too ridiculous to even contemplate. The probability of Kyouya being as attracted to her, as she was to him was as likely as hell freezing over.

Wait a minute, she thought in protest. Whoever said she was attracted to him anyway? Attracted to that dark-eyed demon? Sure, and pigs fly!

And yet, why was it that she felt a tiny kernel of self-doubt when she thought about him. Haruhi's lips flattened as she replayed the events of the day in her mind.

While it was true that Kyouya had acted in an unusual way, it could be argued that so had she. It was very rare for any of the Host Club members to get a rise out of her, as she steadfastly clung to the idea that expending energy for anything that involved them was a waste of time. So Haruhi spent her days merely coasting and going with the flow that Tamaki-senpai and the rest usually dictated.

And yet she had allowed Kyouya to get her senses riled up too many times today— far more than she cared to admit. Which was completely uncharacteristic of her; and now that she had finally found the time to seriously take stock of the situation, she was greatly disturbed.

_You're thinking about that kiss again aren't you? _An insidious voice broke through her turbulent thoughts.

_Despite your protests to the contrary, you actually enjoyed it— immensely. The sooner you admit it, the better off you'll be_. _After all, you wouldn't be in this predicament if you didn't really want to. In your hear of hearts, you know that Kyouya would have taken you home had you REALLY demanded it. _The voice continued knowingly.

_The truth is, you wanted this. You, Fujioka Haruhi WANTED this— _the voice emphasized mercilessly.

_It's high time you took responsibility for your actions._

She felt as if she'd been sucker punched. Haruhi stiffened as the realization crashed over her in waves.

"I'm in love with Kyouya Ootori," she whispered in horror.


End file.
